RINDGE, N.H (2/11/2023) - In a game with a playoff like atmosphere, the Franklin Pierce men's basketball team could not find the answers in the second half against Northeast-10 Conference rival Saint Anselm College, falling to the Hawks 88-66 on Saturday afternoon at The Fieldhouse. 

The Ravens have now dropped three straight decisions, and fall to 14-10 (9-8 NE10) on the season. Saint Anslem has now won two straight contests, and improves to 17-6 (13-4 NE10) to tie for the top seed in the Northeast-10 Conference standings. 

In the first half, the Ravens and Hawks traded baskets as neither was able to go off on a sizeable run. Sophomore Jarnel Snow-Guzman (Lynn, Massachusetts) was the first to get the Ravens on the board with a jumper from three-point range, but a balanced attack from the opposition kept things a challenge for Pierce. Throughout the first 20 minutes, both teams would shoot over 40% from the field, and would additionally swap the lead a total of nine times, with the largest lead of the half belonging to Saint Anselm (14-8). However, the Ravens continued to battle on both ends of the court, and rallied behind a 12-point half from sophomore Mohamed Traore (Hyde Park, Massachusetts). Entering the second half, Saint Anslem would hold a fragile 38-35 advantage.

It was the second half is where everything came to a halt for the Ravens, as they surrendered their highest single-half point totals to an opponent this season. Through the bottom half, Saint Anslem would put up a shocking 50 points, hitting frequent baskets from behind the arc to give themselves an eventual 61-47 advantage with 11:56 left to play. Down the stretch, the Ravens continuously came up empty on multiple possessions, unable to find success with high quality chances. To add insult to injury, the Hawks continued to pour on the points from three-point territory, combining for 7-of-10 (70.0%) in the second half alone. Off the bench, graduate Donovan Bonilla (Port Saint Lucie, Fla.) would go on to lead the Raven individual scoring in the half, scoring six points from inside the paint. As a result, the Hawks would be rewarded for their second half surge, walking away with the 88-66 win.

For the Ravens, it was a struggle to get the starters going offensively as Traore was the only starter to score in double figures, finishing with 14 points going 6-of-15 from the field. Overall, Franklin Pierce shot a base 40.9% from the field (27-of-66), but struggled mightily from behind the arc at just 28.6% (4-of-14). Turnovers would also cost the Ravens in the effort, as they totaled 13 through the full 40-minutes played. 

Men's Basketball hits the road for New Haven, Connecticut, on February 15th where they will clash with Southern Connecticut State University at 7:30 p.m.