Franklin Pierce
Rallies to Victory Over Nova Southeastern
BOCA RATON, Fla. (December 21, 2002) - The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team rallied from a ten-point halftime deficit to post a 74-62 victory over Nova Southeastern University in day three action of the Palm Beach Sunshine Hoops Challenge, hosted by Lynn University, this afternoon. Franklin Pierce trailed 36-26 at the intermission after shooting a mere 29-percent (9-31) from the field in the opening half. Nova Southeastern canned 50% (13-26) of its shots over the same span. The Knights scored the first six points of the game and held a 14-5 lead just 5:47 into the contest. The NSU lead was 14 (41-27), 41-seconds into the second half, but Franklin Pierce used a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to trim the lead to four (46-42) at the 15:31-mark. Junior guard Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat) sparked the rally with eight points (including a pair of three-pointers) during that span. The Knights lead grew back to seven with 15:04 to play, but the Ravens then took control with a 19-2 run over the next 6:10 to take a 61-51 lead with 8:50 left on the clock. During the deciding stretch, 13 of Franklin Pierce's 19 points came at the free throw line, including a stretch of 11-straight points.
In fact the Ravens got 14-straight points at the charity stripe sandwiched between a Hunt lay-up at the 11:43-mark that put them up for good (51-50) and a Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) jumper with 6:13 to play. Hunt led all scorers with a season-high 27 points, aided by a 12-15 effort at the line, to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior Tom Waterman (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) netted ten points, canning 8-12 at the line, and snared four steals. Powell finished with nine points and eight rebounds (four offensive), while junior Derek Rodgerson (Newburgh, Maine/Hampden Academy) chipped in eight points, six boards and two blocks. Freshman Justen Nagle (Rindge, N.H./Conant) added a season-high seven points, most coming during the Ravens comeback effort. Seniors Eduardo Reguera and Brandon Weiss led Nova Southeastern with 17 points apiece. Weiss also totaled five rebounds and three assists. Junior Zak Kirshgasser added 14 points, while sophomore Kluis Wimbush chipped in ten points, six boards and four assists. Franklin Pierce (3-7, 1-4 NE-10) is off until the New Year when it travels to Manchester, N.H., on Friday, January 3, to face Saint Anselm College at 7:30 p.m. Nova Southeastern (4-9) travels to Valdosta State University on Saturday, December 28. |
