BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (December 17, 2015) – Sophomore Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) had himself a game, where he put up a team-leading 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. But his solid game did not translate to success for the rest of the squad, as the Franklin Pierce University Ravens Men's Basketball team was defeated on the road by the LIU Post Pioneers by a final score of 72-60 Thursday night at the Pratt Recreation Center in a non-conference matchup.

With the loss, the Ravens drop to 5-4 on the season, but maintain their standing in the Northeast-10 Conference. After the win, LIU Post improves to a solid 8-2 record on the season.

Franklin Pierce flew out of the gate, grabbing a lead just a minute into the matchup after a three-pointer by senior Tyler Iacuone (Mahopac, N.Y.) put the Ravens up by four points, 6-2. After losing the lead and then tying it back up, Iacuone would hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the lead to six, 14-8 at the 16:08 mark in the first half. Both sides would trade baskets, with the Ravens unable to grab a lead larger than double-digits.

A layup by Dillon Burns with 8:51 to play in the first half cut the LIU Post deficit to just one point. That basket proved big, as it allowed LIU Post to hang in the rest of the half, and even take a late lead. However, thanks to a bucket by sophomore Gerard Grey (Washington, D.C.) with 29 seconds to play, the game tied up at 38-38, and would be the score as both sides entered the locker room at the half.

The second half proved costly for the Ravens, as they fell cold from the floor, only able to record nine baskets in the whole second half. Franklin Pierce relied on their outside shooting, which couldn't get the job done. They hung in through the first 10 minutes of the second half, before falling off the map down the stretch. Barrington Alston would hit a jumper with 9:23 to go to put LIU Post up by three. From there, the Pioneers wouldn't look back.

From that mark, LIU Post would use a 15-6 run over the final 9:23 to pull away and grab the 72-60 victory over Franklin Pierce. Providing the work throughout the game was the Pioneers ability to get to the basket, as they were able to pump in 42 points from the paint, besting the Ravens in that category as Franklin Pierce only found 14 points from up close. The Pioneers also showed stronger ability on the boards, tossing in 20 second-chance points.

Behind McDevitt's effort for the Ravens was Iacuone, who also provided 15 points with 4-for-8 shooting from behind the arc, the only Raven with those sort of numbers. Junior Matt Banton (Brooklyn, N.Y.) used 3-for-6 shooting from three-point land for nine points, while junior Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) collected seven points, a team-leading six assists, and five rebounds.

For LIU Post, Jared Hall led all scorers with 16 points on the night, while chipping in with seven rebounds. However, it was Michael Phillip who came up big for the Pioneers, snatching a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Alston also collected 10 points as well for LIU Post.

Franklin Pierce's struggles from the floor wrapped up in a 33.9 percent shooting night, while only shooting 30 percent (9-for-30) from behind the three-point arc. LIU Post didn't turn in much better complete numbers overall, only going 28.9 percent (2-for-7) from behind the arc, but were able to get it done from close distance, leading to an overall percent of 37.7 from the floor.

The Ravens play once more before Christmas break, as they will travel to Manchester, N.H. this Sunday, December 20 when they take on Saint Anselm. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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).