RINDGE, N.H. (March 3, 2020) – Following a 76-74 road victory over the no. 10 regionally-ranked and no. 2 Southwest Division seeded Adelphi University, the no. 9 regionally-ranked and no. 3 Northeast Division seed Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team will travel cross-state to take on the scorching hot no. 5 regionally-ranked and Northeast Division top seed Saint Anselm College Wednesday, March 4th with a trip to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship Game on the line in the NE10 Semifinals at 7:00 p.m.

This marks the first time since 2012-13 that the Ravens have reached the NE10 Semifinals where they upended the host Hawks 71-68 on March 6, 2013, en route to a second-place finish in the Conference Championship Game, an East Region Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite 8. In his 21 seasons as bench boss, Head Coach David Chadbourne's (308-283, 223-224 NE10) teams have reached the postseason 16 times. Overall, in the conference tourney, the Ravens are 8-14 with three trips to the conference semifinals, one trip to the championship game and one second-place finish.

Saint Anselm, who received votes in the latest edition of the NABC Coaches National Poll is an annual powerhouse in the Northeast-10 under the guidance of 34th-year head coach Keith Dickson (662-342), the D2 East Hoops Coach of the Decade. They have made the conference dance the past seven seasons with appearances in the Championship Game in three of those years (2015, 2017, 2018) with one league title in 2017. The Hawks are a combined 52-30 in the league tournament with eight conference titles in 13 trips to the Championship Game. The Hawks are coming off an East Regional Championship last season, their second in program history (W, 74-49 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas) before falling to eventually Division II National Champion Northwest Missouri State University (38-0) in the Final Four. They are currently in search of their eighth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS

Pierce earned the no. 3 seed in the Northeast Division after wrapping up the regular season with a 15-11, 10-9 NE10 record. Since their 34 point win at home against Adelphi back on Saturday, January 25th, the Ravens have gone 4-5 and they entered the tournament with three straight setbacks before stopping their slide with a 76-74 win at Adelphi on Sunday in the Quarterfinals. Isaiah Moore (Temple Hills, Md.) carried the Ravens to the victory with career and game-high 29 points as he was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts. FPU also has played better on their home court, The Fieldhouse recording a 9-2 mark compared to a 6-8 record on the road.

FPU loves attempting three-pointers as they rank 20th out of 308 NCAA Division II programs in three-point field goals per game (11.0). They also are 21st in three-point field goal attempts (822) and 29th in three-point field goal conversions (297) while they crash the boards on the defensive end coming in at 17th in defensive rebounds per game (28.7).

A trio of double-digit point scorers carries the Ravens offensive attack. Senior and recently minted NE10 First Team guard Doyin Fadojutimi (Temple Hills, Md.) is the team leader in scoring (18.3), rebounding (6.7), steals (1.6), blocks (1.3) and free-throw shooting (76.3). Fadojutimi is one of only six players in the conference to record averages of over 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. The one-time NE10 Player of the Week has tallied 10 games of 20 or more points including four contests of 30+ markers and two double-doubles. In the 85-79 win at home against Stonehill College on February 12th, Fadojutimi poured in a career-high 41 points off 14-of-19 (73.7%) shooting and a 9-of-13 (69.2%) performance from downtown, which matched the program's single-game three-pointer mark.

Classmate Falu Seck (Washington, D.C.) comes in at second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game he has five games of 20+ points including a season-high 24 markers in the Raven win against Adelphi where he was 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the hardwood and 7-for-13 (53.8%) from beyond the arc. Isaiah Moore rounds out the Ravens' double-digit point scorers. The second-year guard has taken a leap this year increasing his shooting efficiency, scoring, passing and rebounding. The 2018-19 NE10 All-Rookie Team honoree has averaged 12.6 points, a team-best 50.2% field goal percentage and a team-leading 3.9 assists per game, which ranks ninth in the conference. Moore has elevated his play since the calendar turned to February as he's averaged 17.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds while converting shots at a 56.7% clip (59-of-104) and threes at a 43.2% (16-of-37) efficiency.

Off the bench, sophomore Maxwell Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) and Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) average over 20 minutes per game. Zegarowski is the team's leading three-point shooter at 42.9% (47-of-111) and ranks fourth in scoring (8.7) while Fasoyiro has earned eight starts and has manufactured 7.8 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, the second-highest total on the team.

As a team, Pierce ranks second in the conference in three-point conversions (297), tied for second in defensive rebounds per game (28.7), second in blocks per game (3.8), third in steals per game (7.0), fourth in scoring offense (80.1), fourth in assists per game (15.6). On the defensive side of the ball, FPU forces their opponents into bad shots as they allow opponents to shoot 43.0% from the floor and 33.5% from deep, two of the lowest percentages in the conference. Pierce also forces their opponents' offense into mistakes as they force a conference-high 14.9 turnovers per game. However, teams find it easy to rebound over the Ravens as they allow 40.0 boards per game, the highest total in the league.

FRANKLIN PIERCE PROJECTED STARTING FIVE

#1 Jameson Pierrelus (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – 4.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 34.2% FG, 20.8 3PT, 85.7% FT
#4 Isaiah Moore – 12.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 50.2% FG, 37.3% 3PT, 73.1% FT
#12 Sean Bresnan (Yonkers, N.Y.) – 6.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, 53.6% FG, 45.1% 3PT, 64.7% FT
#20 Falu Seck – 13.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 42.8% FG, 35.5% 3PT, 66.7% FT
#23 Doyin Fadojutimi – 18.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 46.6% FG, 37.1% 3PT, 76.3% FT

SCOUTING THE HAWKS

Saint Anselm earned their third consecutive Northeast Division regular-season title with an 18-9, 14-5 NE10 mark. The Hawks have been blistering hot rattling off nine straight victories with their last defeat, a 108-88 setback to Le Moyne College coming on Saturday, January 25th. Like the Ravens, they excel on their home court (12-1) with their only setback coming from the Dolphins in January and they are mortal away from the friendly confines of the Stoutenburgh Gym (5-7). The Hawks achieved numerous national rankings earlier in the season ranking high as no. 12 in the D2SIDA National Media Poll.

The Hawks are led by a trio of Northeast-10 All-Conference honorees. Junior Chris Paul, a two-time NE10 Player of the Week averages a team-high 18.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He comes in at sixth in the league in scoring and his 6.0 defensive caroms per contest put him at seventh in the NE10. Paul has 12 games of 20 or more points on the season as well as six double-doubles. Paul is 21st out of 250 qualified NCAA Division II athletes in free throws made (154) and 23rd free throw attempts (194). Sophomore Miles Tention, an NE10 Third Team selection checks in at second on the squad in scoring averaging 14.3 points per game, a mark shared with fellow starter Danny Evans. Tention is the team leader in assists per game (4.2), the fifth-best mark in the conference. He is also an assassin from range putting home 47.1% of his three-point attempts, the best mark in the league and sixth-highest in NCAA Division II. Freshman guard Tyler Arbuckle rounds out the Hawk NE10 athletes with a bid to the All-Rookie Team. The four-time NE10 Rookie of the Week drops 14.2 points per game and connects on shots at a 41.0% percentage. He has eight games of 20+ points but has also has eight games of points in the single figures.

Gustav Suhr-Jessen is the final Hawk starter to average in double-digits at 12.2 points per game. Saint Anselm doesn't get much production from their bench as their starters play the majority of the minutes with four of the five averaging over 31 minutes per game.

As a team, Saint A's is a superb defensive rebounding team like the Ravens ranking 11th out of 308 programs in Division II (28.9). They also are 27th in three-point percentage (39.6%) and 40th in rebounds per game (39.0). In the NE10, Saint Anselm is the highest-scoring program leading the conference in points per game (83.1). They are second in three-point percentage (39.6%), second in assists per game (16.2) and third in field goal percentage (46.7%). On the defensive side, they allow the fewest assists per game (10.9), but they get blocked 3.1 times per game, the fourth-worst mark in the league.

SAINT ANSELM PROJECTED STARTING FIVE

#0 Tyler Arbuckle – 14.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 41.0 FG%, 33.8 3PT%, 72.2 FT%
#4 Danny Evans – 14.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 45.3 FG%, 42.6 3PT%, 57.1 FT%
#15 Chris Paul – 18.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 51.0 FG%, 45.5 3PT%, 79.4 FT%
#23 Miles Tention – 14.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 50.2 FG%, 47.1 3PT%, 81.3 FT%
#24 Gustav Suhr-Jessen – 12.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 49.3 FG%, 37.6 3PT%, 77.2 FT%

EARLIER THIS SEASON

Since they're both in the same division, Franklin Pierce and Saint Anselm have met twice this past season. In their first meeting on November 23, the #14 Hawks shocked the Ravens with a 100-94 overtime victory as Chris Paul hit a circus buzzer-beating three-pointer with no time left to force overtime. Doyin Fadojutimi scored 36 points with six rebounds while going 11-for-17 (64.7%) shooting and 5-for-10 (50%) beyond the arc.

During their second meeting a couple of weeks ago on Wednesday, February 19th, the Hawks stunned the Ravens battling back down 10 late in the second half for a 68-64 victory on the Ravens Senior Night. Falu Seck put in a game-high 22 points with six triples while Gustav Suhr-Jessen double-doubled with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

In the all-time series, the Hawks hold a 42-20 record against the Ravens including wins over their past four matchups. Pierce has lost their past seven games in Stoutenburgh Gym with their last win in Manchester coming during the NE10 Semifinals on March 6, 2013, a 71-68 Raven victory. The FPU W was also the last time these two programs have met in the NE10 Tournament.

HEADING TO THE GAME?

If you are planning on heading to the game here are the directions to the Stoutenburgh Gym.

You will be required to pay a small gate fee to enter the gym. The prices are…

Adults…..$8.00

Children & Seniors…..$5.00

Northeast-10 Conference Students w/Identification…..$1.00

WHERE TO WATCH

Can't make it to the game? The Northeast-10 and Saint Anselm have you covered with live stats and video. Click the links below to access the live stats and video.

LIVE STATS | VIDEO

You can also view the Northeast-10 Conference 2020 Men's Basketball Championship page by clicking here.

WHATS NEXT?

The winner of this contest will advance to the NE10 Championship and play the winner of the no. 5 Southwest seed New Haven/no. 2 Northeast seed Stonehill bout on Saturday, March 7th at the highest remaining seed with tip-off set for 1:00 p.m.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://www.fpuravens.com). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens ), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://www.fpuravens.com/store). You can also follow the men's basketball team on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FPURavensMBB) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fpuravensmbb/).