Southern N.H.
Nips Franklin Pierce in Final Seconds, 78-76 RINDGE, N.H. (November 23, 2002) - Senior guard Steve Lavolpicelo (New London, N.H./Kearsarge) hit a jumper with a tenth of a second remaining on the clock to lift Southern New Hampshire University to a 78-76 victory over Franklin Pierce in the Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball season opener for both tonight at the Franklin Pierce Fieldhouse. Senior Sotirios Karapostolou found Lavolpicelo open on the right baseline from the top of the key during a scramble as time ticked off the clock. The shot came after Franklin Pierce senior Tom Waterman (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) hit just one of two at the free-throw line with seven seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. Southern New Hampshire senior Brian Larrabee led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and a five-of-six effort at the free-throw line. Karapostolou added 15 points, a game-high nine rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Penmen. Junior Namdi Williams came off the bench to add nine points and five boards in 22 minutes of action, while Lavolpicelo finished with six points. Freshman Justin Powell (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) led Franklin Pierce with 19 points to go along with four blocks in his collegiate debut. Junior Jimmie Hunt (Utica, N.Y./Mount Ararat (Maine)) totaled 14 points and three assists, while Waterman finished with 14 points, shooting 4-5 from the field and 6-7 at the line, four assists and three steals. Senior Zvonko Ilic (Nis, Yugoslavia) chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Both teams came out shooting the in the first half as the Penmen held a 42-41 lead at the break. SNHU shot 53.1-percent (17-32) in the opening half, while the Ravens connected at 51.9% (14-27). The Ravens held a seven-point lead (the largest by either team in the game) with 8:10 remaining in the first half after Powell was fouled on a lay-up and converted the free-throw to cap an 8-0 run and put Franklin Pierce up, 31-24. The Penmen fought back with a 13-4 run, capped by a Williams lay-in to regain the lead before halftime. Franklin Pierce scored the first six points of the second half to take a 47-42 advantage at the 18:11-mark, but Southern New Hampshire reeled off a 12-2 run to take a 54-49 lead with 13:30 to play - it’s largest lead of the night. The two teams battled through 13 ties in the game with the Penmen holding several four-point leads down the stretch before Franklin Pierce closed the gap in the final minute. Franklin Pierce (0-1, 0-1 NE-10) returns to action on Tuesday night with it hosts NE-10 preseason favorite UMass Lowell at 7:30 p.m. Southern New Hampshire (1-0, 1-0 NE-10) is off until Sunday, December 1, when it hosts Bentley College at 3:30 p.m. |
