Game-Winner Rims Out as Men’s Hoops Drops Fourth Straight Game

RINDGE, N.H. (January 25, 2017) – Senior guard Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) racked up 16 points, a game-high nine rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and two steals as the Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team lost their fourth consecutive game by a 68-67 score to Northeast-10 Conference opponent Pace University on Wednesday night in The Fieldhouse. With the victory, the Setters improve to 6-15, 3-10 NE10 and the setback sends the Crimson and Grey to 10-9, 7-6 NE10.

Gittens had a chance to be the hero and had a good look at the game winning shot as he drove into the paint, stopped, drew the defender off balance with a pump fake and then had a clean shot, but the rock clanked off the back rim and fell to the floor.

Four of five Raven starters scored in double figures including Gittens. Jordan Lackey (South Plainfield, N.J.) tallied a team-high 18 points and snagged seven boards. Matt Banton (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 12 points, came down with six rebounds and handed out two assists. Mike McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) chipped in 11 points and eight caroms.

Setters' guard Christian White came alive in the second half as he scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the final stanza with most of his damage coming from three-point land (4-of-7). White dished out a team-high six assists, corralled three boards and came up with two steals. Evan Gordinier scored 13 points off the bench and Austin Mofunanya added 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a stuff in the win.

The Ravens held a superior advantage in the low post as they outscored their counterparts 26-to-14, but the Setter reserves tallied 20 points to the Ravens seven off the bench. Pace also lead for 35:52 in the contest as the lead changed only two times and the score was knotted up only once.

Franklin Pierce started off the contest slow as they didn't score until the 17:26 mark until Asante Sandiford (Boston, Mass.) lofted an alley-oop to Gittens who slammed down the rock with two hands igniting the home crowd. White sank his first three-ball a few seconds later which put Pierce down six, 10-4.

Trailing by seven after a Gordinier trey, FPU scored 11 straight points as Gittens connected on a fast break layup, Sandiford successfully completed an and1 and Lackey, McDevitt and Oladoyin Fadojutimi (Temple Hills, Md.) all converted layups to give the Ravens their largest lead of the contest.

Following the Raven run, the Setters scored 12 in a row to regain the lead to their side, 25-17 after a Gordinier layup. The game of runs continued as six consecutive by FPU on a Lackey trey, two Fadojutimi free throws and a 1-of-2 showing at the line from Gittens brought the Setter lead back to two, 25-23.

Back to Back three's by Gordinier and one free throw from Mofunanya pushed the Setters lead up to nine, 32-23 with 4:12 left in half. Franklin Pierce once again responded by scoring seven straight as Ben Mead (Ipswich, England) capped the run with a long range shot from the top of the key after Gittens drew two defenders in on a drive and kicked the rock out to an open Mead. Pierce trailed by two, 32-30 until a Jack McGuire trey and a Mofunanya lay-in made it a seven point game at the intermission.

The guests held the lead for the majority of the second stanza as the Ravens kept on fighting until the clock hit zero. With 4:20 to go, McGuire hit a jumper to push Pace's lead to 10, 66-56. On the next Raven possession, McDevitt attempted a three-point shot, missed, followed his shot, snagged the board and put the ball up and in for the second chance points that made it an eight point game at 66-58 with 4:05 left.

A two minute scoring drought followed until Banton buried a three off a Gittens pass to make it a two possession game at 66-61. The Ravens got a stop as Gittens had an open look at the top of the point and his three point attempt banked off the glass and rimmed out. The Setters raced down the floor and McGuire settled for a three-ball but his shot was off the mark.

Gittens grabbed the board, led the charge in transaction and drove down low and kicked out the rock to an open Lackey who was waiting in the right corner. Lackey rose up and dumped in long range connection as the Ravens cut the deficit to, two 66-64 with 1:10 to go.

After two White makes from the charity stripe, Gittens and Lackey teamed up again as Gittens found Lackey in the opposite corner this time for another shot from beyond the arc and as he did previously, Lackey converted the trey to make it a one point game, 68-67 with 43 seconds left in the contest. This would be the last scoring in the game as White missed a jumper and Gitten's game winner banged off the back rim as the Setters held on to the one point win.

The Ravens wrap up the month of January on Saturday when they welcome NE10 opponent Le Moyne to the Fieldhouse for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off.

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 men's basketball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).