Franklin Pierce Hands Men's Basketball 86-79 Loss
Links: Box Score | Game Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In a game that featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties, the visiting Franklin Pierce University Ravens held on late for an 86-79 victory over the Merrimack College men's basketball team on Tuesday evening at Hammel Court in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt.
The Basics
Score: Franklin Pierce 86, Merrimack 79
Records: Merrimack (6-3, 3-2 NE-10) | Franklin Pierce (5-4, 4-2 NE-10)
Location: Hammel Court | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
- Sophomore Ryan Boulter (Mansfield, Mass.) hit two 3-pointers over the first five minutes of the game, with his second of night coming at the 14:50 mark to make it a two-point deficit for the Warriors, 13-11. The make started a 7-0 run capped off by two field goals from graduate forward Anthony Barry (Uxbridge, Mass.) that gave the Warriors a 15-13 lead
- Junior Kyle Howes (Maynard, Mass.) scored two of his eight first-half points at the midway point of the opening stanza to increase the Navy and Gold's lead to five, 30-25. The Ravens used a 6-0 run following that field goal to go ahead by one with six minutes to play in the half
- With the score tied at 37-all with 2:54 remaining, the team's combined for just one field goal over the remainder of the half, but it was a big one: Freshman point guard Juvaris Hayes (Paterson, N.J.) made his second triple of the half with 36 seconds to play to give the Warriors a 40-38 lead at intermission
- Both teams shared leads during the first four minutes of the second half. After the Ravens took a 46-44 advantage, the Warriors scored six points over two possessions on Boulter's fifth 3-pointer of the night followed by a three-point play from Hayes
- The midway point of the second half came and went with the Warriors ahead by two, 60-58. As the clock ticked under 11 minutes to play, Donte Gittens tied the game at 58-all on a layup but Howes responded on the Warriors' next possession by faking a three before driving to the bucket for two of his own
- The Ravens used a 6-0 run to turn a one-point lead into a seven-point advantage, 76-69, with 4:15 to play in the half. Barry ended the run with a quick lay-in, then Hayes made a steal on the ensuing inbounds pass and made an up-and-under layup to make it a one-possession game, 76-73, with 3:40 on the clock
- Hayes fouled out with 2:02 on the clock, leaving the Warriors down three, 82-79, and without their primary ball handler. The Warriors had three attempts at a game-tying 3-point over the final 122 seconds of action, but saw all three attempts miss including Howes' with just 14 seconds to play. The Ravens added four free throws in the final 10 seconds for the 86-79 victory
Inside The Numbers
- Despite all the back-and-forth action for much of the night, the Ravens did not relinquish their advantage once the went ahead 70-67 with 6:34 remaining in the second half
- Another stellar performance from Merrimack's point guard, Hayes finished the night with 28 points in 32 minutes on 11-of-13 shooting including 3-of-3 from distance. The floor general added seven assists and four steals, setting season highs in both points and field goals
- Seventy-eight of Merrimack's 79 points came from its starting lineup. Four Warriors scored in double figures, with Barry (10), Bouler (26) and Howes (10) each finishing with at least 10 points
- For Barry, the graduate student finished in double figures in scoring for the 41st time in his career, while his 11 caroms marked his eighth career game with at least ten. He registered his first double-double of the season against the Ravens
- By shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, Boulter increased his 3-point percentage to 41.7 on the season. The second-year sharpshooter now has hit at least five triples in a game four times through nine games
- Franklin Pierce make 57.4 percent of its field goals and missed only nine shots in the second half, shooting nearly 70 percent from the field
Up Next
The Warriors travel to Assumption on Thursday night to face the Greyhounds from Worcester, Mass. at 7:30 p.m. in a NE10 tilt.
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