RINDGE, N.H (2/18/2023) - The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team won a senior day thriller on Saturday afternoon, as they bested Northeast-10 Conference opponent Bentley University, 77-74 at the Fieldhouse.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 16-10 (11-8 NE10), while Bentley falls to 19-5 (14-5 NE10). Franklin Pierce finishes with a 10-6 home record during their regular season at the Fieldhouse. 

In the first half, the Ravens jumped in front early as Jarnel Snow-Guzman (Lynn, Mass.) and Sean Trumper (Ashford, United Kingdom) went to work in the paint. The Ravens had their first double-digit lead of the game leading 20-10, thanks to a Brandon Kolek (Cumberland, Rhode Island) three-pointer. However, the early fortunes did not last long for Pierce, as Bentley went on a 21-4 run to propel themselves to a 31-24 advantage with five minutes remaining in the half. Following the Bentley momentum shift, Snow-Guzman returned with a huge three-pointer at the 4:03 mark, which cut the Falcon lead down to five points. By the end of the first half, the Bentley lead had been shaved down to 43-39. Snow-Guzman finished the first half with 15 points, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-3 from behind the arc for 6 from the field and 3 for 3 from behind the arc.

To open the second half, the Falcons looked to storm away with a 13-4 run, giving themselves their largest lead of the contest at 58-48. However, the Ravens refused to go away, and received a boost off the bench by freshman guard RJ Delahaye (Newburgh, N.Y.) who provided the spark for a 13-1 Pierce run. In the game's final eight minutes, both teams began trading baskets, but neither would go on a big run. With the game coming down to the wire, and Bentley in the lead by five points, it seemed that the Falcons were going to walk out of The Fieldhouse with the win. Yet, Mohamed Traore (Hyde Park, Mass.) had other plans, as he jacked a three-pointer from up high to cut the Falcon lead to two with under two and a half minutes to go. On their next possession, following a defensive rebound off a missed shot, the Ravens converted again from the perimeter on a Sean Trumper three pointer, giving Pierce the lead back at 75-74 with 00:47 to play. After the Falcons missed another chance to reclaim the lead, Trumper would ice it with two made free throws at the line, eventually finalizing the 77-74 winning score.

Franklin Pierce finished the afternoon shooting 48.3% from the field (29-of-60), including 44% (11-for-25) from three-range, while Bentley shot 46.8% from the field (29-of-62). For the Ravens, Jarnel Snow-Guzman and Mohamad Traore combined for 34 points, while both Sean Trumper and Brandon Kolek combined for 23 on the night.

Franklin Pierce heads to Pace University for their regular-season finale this Tuesday, February 21st, with the opening tip set for 7:30 p.m.