Franklin Pierce
Holds Off Pace, 76-71 RINDGE, N.H. (January 8, 2003) - Junior guard Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) netted a career-high 35 points to lead Franklin Pierce to a 76-71 victory over Pace University in Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball action at Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse tonight. Rodgerson netted 18 of the Ravens 32 second half points as Franklin Pierce withstood a Pace comeback effort to close out the win. Rodgerson drained nine-of-12 attempts from the floor for the night, including 6-8 from three-point range, and connected on 11-13 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds, two assists and two blocks for the Ravens. Junior Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) added 17 points (13 first half), on 6-8 shooting from the field, including 3-5 from long distance, six rebounds and two assists. Senior Sharod Campbell (Dorchester, Mass./Boston English) grabbed a team-best nine boards to go along with seven points.
Franklin Pierce came out firing away on all cylinders in the first half, building a 44-30 lead at the break. The Ravens canned eight of their first ten three-point attempts before settling for a 10-16 (62.5-percent) effort from long range in the half. Franklin Pierce finished the half shooting 56% (14-25) from the field overall compared to 29.4% (10-34) for Pace. Franklin Pierce extended its lead to 21 points (53-32) with a 7-2 run to open the second half. Rodgerson capped the string with a jumper and three-pointer. Pace answered with an 8-0 run to work the deficit to 13 points (53-40) with 13:39 to play. Sophomore Carlos Martinez sparked the run with four points. The Ravens bumped their lead back to 18 (58-40) after a Rodgerson three-ball at the 12:18 mark. Pace answered with a 12-0 run, sparked by back-to-back conventional three-point plays by junior Atiba Lyons, and the Setters trailed by just six (58-52) with 8:05 left in regulation. The Ravens worked their lead back to double-figures and led 65-55 with 4:04 on the clock after a Campbell layup. Pace responded again with an 8-2 run to close the gap to four points (67-63) with 2:12 to play with Lyons and sophomore Burtran Johnson each netting four points. A Rodgerson layup ended the run and he then iced the game by hitting five of six from the line in the final minute. Lyons led Pace with a double-double, totaling 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (seven offensive) to go with three steals. Johnson added 16 points, three boards and four assists. Franklin Pierce (5-8, 3-5 NE-10) hosts Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Pace (6-7, 4-4 NE-10) hosts UMass Lowell on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. |
