Pace Edges FPC, 72-70
Teams combine for 52 three-point attempts; Johnson nets 1,000th career point

RINDGE, N.H. (January 3, 2002) - Senior swingman Al Elliott canned two free-throws with 8.3-seconds left in regulation to lift Pace University, ranked third in the Northeast region, to a 72-70 victory over Franklin Pierce University
in Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball action at the FP
Fieldhouse tonight.

Following Elliott’s free-throws and an FP
timeout, the Ravens had a chance to win or send the game into overtime, but a three-pointer from sophomore Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) from the top of the key missed the mark with four seconds on the clock.

The two teams took a whopping 52 shots from three-point range, but combined to shoot just 28.3-percent (15-53) from long-distance. The Ravens converted on only 24.1% (7-29) from behind the arc for the night.

Franklin Pierce led 38-32 at the intermission and led a back-and-forth second half - featuring a total of six ties - matching its largest lead of the stanza with a four-point lead (66-62) with 5:39 to play.

Pace answered with an 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the half (70-66) with 3:12 to play. Senior guard Tyrone Johnson spearheaded the rally with five points, including a three-pointer to kick-start things.

FP
senior Kevin Scott (Mississauga, Ontario/Iona Catholic) trimmed the deficit to two with a lay-up with 3:02 to play.

The game remained scoreless for over the next 2:30 as Pace missed four field-goal attempts. The Ravens fouled sophomore Atiba Lyons with 30-seconds to play, but the forward squandered a chance to seal the game as he missed both attempts.

Junior Tom Waterman (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) knotted the score at 70 with 14-seconds to play with a driving lay-up, drawing a foul on the way, but missed the free-throw to give the Ravens the lead.

After a Pace timeout, Elliott was fouled going to the basket to set up his gamewinning free-throws.

Elliott led all scorers with 21 points on the night as he shot six-for-12 from the field and canned 7-9 from the line to go along with seven rebounds and two steals. Johnson added 18 points, becoming the 23rd player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in the process. He also added a team-high nine rebounds.

Junior swingman V.J. Kwity (Torrance, Calif./West) led FP
with 19 points, shooting 8-12 from the field, and eight rebounds. Scott registered a double-double with 11 points, ten rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Rodgerson chipped in 13 points, a career-high eight assists and three steals.

The Ravens were outscored 14-5 at the free-throw line for the night, feeling the effects of a 20-7 free-throw attempts margin.

FP
(5-6, 2-5 NE-10) returns home to host Le Moyne College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Pace (9-2, 6-1 NE-10) travels to College of Saint Rose on Saturday at 3:15 p.m.