GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (1/10/23) – The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team seized a much needed victory on the road Tuesday night, powering their way past Northeast-10 opponent Adelphi University on their court by a score of 74-69.

The win ends the recent four game skid for the Ravens, and brings them back above .500 with an 8-7 (4-5 NE10) overall record. Adelphi drops to 7-10 (1-8 NE10) on their respective campaign with the home loss.

The first half featured a high level of intensity, with each side finding frequent success on both established possession and in transition. Freshman JB Mukeba (Lynn, Mass.) was the difference maker in the first half for Pierce, passing his season's best performance with 9 points scored, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor to be paired with 4 rebounds. Throughout the half, Adelphi had no issues scoring points, but had their hands full with a balanced Raven attack, with their largest advantage coming with 2:56 left in the first half at 30-23. However, as the half closed out, sophomores Antonio Chandler (Piscataway, N.J.) and Mohamad Traore (Hyde Park, Mass.) made sure Pierce remained within reach of the host Panthers with a pair of two-pointers in the final two minutes, sending the Ravens into the second half trailing Adelphi, 32-27.

It didn't take long for the Ravens to flip the script in the second half, as they claimed their first lead of the evening off a two-point jumper from junior Sean Bresnan (Yonkers, N.Y.) just 1:28 in. All the way up until five minutes remaining in the game, the lead would seesaw between the two teams a total of nine times, eventually holding out at a 55-all tie. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Ravens then surged ahead to a 66-57 lead off an 11-2 run which included a three-pointer by Jarnel Snow-Guzman (Lynn, Mass.), his third of the half, placing the Ravens in position to claim the win. In time, multiple trips to the free throw line aided the Ravens in the process, and helped them to escape with the 74-69 success.

Mohamad Traore and senior guard Brandon Kolek (Cumberland, R.I.) each knocked down 12 points to lead the Raven scoring efforts, while Jarnel Snow-Guzman and Sean Trumper each secured 11 points. Off the bench, Antonio Chandler combined with JB Mukeba for 18 of 20 points scored, additionally reeling in a game-high 12 boards to just miss the potential double-double. The Ravens targeted the Panthers often in the game, shooting 25-of-65 (38.5%) in field goals and 8-of-23 (34.8%) from three-point territory.

Men's basketball will head back to Rindge and The Fieldhouse where they will host NE10 opponent College of Saint Rose (7-10, 1-8 NE10) on January 14^th, in the closing contest of a Saturday doubleheader matchup with Golden Knights.