MANCHESTER, N.H. (February 10, 2015) – Senior Paul Becklens (Boston, Mass.) netted himself 18 points and nine assists, but his effort couldn't help the lack of points on the scoreboard as the Franklin Pierce University Ravens Men's Basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to the Southern New Hampshire University Penman by a final score of 75-68.

With the loss, the Ravens drop to 13-10 (8-8 Northeast-10), while the Penman improve to 15-6 (13-4 Northeast-10). The Ravens have now last three of their last four games.

The first half saw a dog fight between the two teams, with each team gaining at least one multi-possession lead. Southern New Hampshire gained their advantage through bench play, as they outscored the Ravens 11-7 in that department. Despite the bench play, the Ravens were the leaders of the game for a majority of the first half, until four minutes remained in the first half. Southern New Hampshire would take over and go into halftime with a three point lead.

The second half saw much of the same, with Southern New Hampshire leading for a majority of the second half. Until exactly eight minutes to play in the game, the Penman held that lead through the half, until junior Jacob Jacquo (New Britain, Conn.) nailed his third three-pointer of the night to give the Ravens a one point lead.

That would hold for almost four minutes as neither team could score after that. Things stayed close down the stretch, until the final minute when things began to shape up. With under a minute to play and with a two point lead, Devan Gilligan hit a three-pointer to give the Penman a five point lead. In the Ravens ensuing possession, the Penman forced a turnover, and were able to seal the game from there.

Behind Becklens' effort was numerous Ravens in double figures, led by fellow senior Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) who finished with 14 points and three blocks. Freshman Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) played one of his best games of the season finishing just shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Thanks to his three three-pointers, Jacquo was the final Raven to also finish in double-figures on the night with 11 points.

For Southern New Hampshire, Elijah Bonsignore led the way with a double-double line of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Devin Gilligan came in strong with a 17 point performance off the bench. Both Rodney Sanders and BJ Cardarelli each finished in double figures as well, with Sanders tossing in 12, and Cardarelli with 11.

Franklin Pierce actually shot better from the floor (47.3% to 43.6%) and the free throw line (85.7% to 76.2%) than Southern New Hampshire, however the Penman converted just slightly better from both behind the arc (55.0% to 47.6%). The difference came to be that the Ravens turned the ball over more times than Southern New Hampshire (12-7), allowing the Penman to convert the opportunities.

The Ravens take to the hardwood next on Thursday, February 12 when they take on the American International College Yellow Jackets at 7:30 in the Fieldhouse in Rindge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).