RINDGE, N.H. (February 24, 2015) – Junior Tyler Iacuone (Mahopac, N.Y.) helped send his senior teammates home with a win on Wednesday night, as his last-second three-pointer lifted the Franklin Pierce University Men's Basketball team over the Bentley University Falcons by a final score of 85-84. Senior Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) finishes his career with a 25 point performance, leading all scorers in the game.

With the win, the Ravens finish their season at 15-13 overall (10-11 Northeast-10), while the Falcons drop to 15-12 overall (10-11 Northeast-10). The win knocks Bentley out of the fifth and final seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships, and allows Merrimack to slip in with their win over Saint Michael's Wednesday night.

Both teams traded the lead through the first 12 minutes of the first half, until a layup by Keegan Hyland with eight minutes to go in the first half but Bentley up by two. From there, the Falcons would extend their lead out, ultimately stretching it to nine after a three pointer by Shaq Phelps.

However, the Ravens had the last laugh before halftime, as Vilmont would drain a three to cut Bentley's lead to six. Coming out of the halftime break, the Ravens kept their momentum and pulled within two just three minutes into the half after yet another Vilmont three-pointer.

Bentley then took the opportunity of some cold Ravens shooting to bring their lead back up to eight with 11 minutes remaining, only to then see it once again disappear. Two minutes later, a layup by junior Jacob Jacquo (New Britain, Conn.) would tie things up at 59-59 with 13:15 to play.

The same wave of scoring would overtake the Fieldhouse floor once more, as Bentley stretched out yet another lead, this time cultivating up to a game-high 10 point lead with seven minutes to play.

Sophomore Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) then decided that he wasn't about to let the game slip away, as he scored five of the last seven baskets for the Ravens down the stretch, capped off by a fast break dunk with authority. The final basket that Bentley would score would come at 4:45 to go, from a layup by Tyler McFarland. Franklin Pierce would hold Bentley scoreless for the remaining time, creating missed shots and creating eight turnovers in the final six minutes of play.

Bentley had the opportunity to ice the game, as they held possession with under a minute to go and up by two points. A missed three-pointer by J.P. Koury with 42 seconds to play allowed Bentley to restart the shot clock and run off time. Franklin Pierce elected not to foul, and force Bentley to make a shot.

McFarland then missed a layup with under 10 seconds to play, giving Franklin Pierce a chance down the floor. A foul by Shaq Phelps would allow the Ravens to draw up a play. It worked to perfection, as Iacuone was left wide open with time, and drained the shot with under a second to play, sending the Ravens home with the win.

Behind Vilmont's leading 25 points was an outstanding all-around performance from Gittens. He put home 20 points, grabbing six rebounds, dishing out five assists, and swatting a game-high four blocks. Iacuone also finished strong in his own right, collecting 17 points on 6-11 shooting, including going 3-6 from behind the arc. Senior Paul Becklens (Boston, Mass.) also wrapped up a fantastic Franklin Pierce career Wednesday night, almost collecting a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. Fellow senior Aboubacar Casse (Dakar, Senegal) also played his final game in a Ravens uniform, contributing 10 minutes that included one block off the bench.

For Bentley, Koury led the way with a team-high 20 points, while the star of the night for the Falcons goes to Keegan Hyland. He finished with a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Both Shaq Phelps and Tyler McFarland finished with 12 points.

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).