RINDGE, N.H. (February 20, 2022) – The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team took to the court in the Fieldhouse for a Northeast-10 Conference matchup with the East Region's top-ranked team, the No. 12/17 nationally ranked Bentley University Falcons, on Sunday afternoon. Junior Isaiah Moore (Temple Hills, Md.) led all players with 28 points, as the Ravens fairly well dismantled the Falcons, 84-65.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 18-7 (12-6 NE10), while Bentley falls to 18-4 (13-4 NE10). The Ravens have accounted for two of Bentley's four losses on the season, as Franklin Pierce took a one-point decision on the road in December.

Defense was at a premium early on, as the Ravens and Falcons lit up the scoreboard in the opening stages of the contest. Franklin Pierce jumped out to a 19-13 lead in the first five minutes by shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Coming out of a Bentley timeout, the Ravens went on a 10-3 run and continued to hit from both inside and outside. The rest of the quarter was much more even, as the Falcons started to close the deficit ahead of halftime. At the break, Franklin Pierce was leading, 43-38.

Moore paced the field with 18 total points and tied with junior Maxwell Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) with a +8 rating in the period. Zegarowski found the basket three times to the tune of nine points. Bentley's leading scorer at the half was sophomore Zach Laput, with 10.

The offense was buzzing again for the Ravens out of the break, starting with success inside. Freshman Sean Trumper (Ashford, United Kingdom) went 3-for-3 in the paint and also grabbed three rebounds early in the second. Zegarowski and freshman Mohamed Traore (Hyde Park, Mass.) each hit from distance, as the Ravens built an 11 point lead (60-49) with 13 minutes to play. Traore added another make from beyond the arc, which forced the Falcons to take a time out with 10:28 to play, trailing 67-53.

The Ravens continued to roll throughout the rest of the second half. With a full team effort, Franklin Pierce built up an 80-63 lead with less than two minutes to play in the game. Highlighted by a spinning finish from Moore at the basket, the offense continued to strike on one side of the court, while the defense held strong on the other. Junior Derrick Obanor (Hyde Park, Mass.) had a massive block for the Ravens in the final minute to ice the game and an 84-65 win.

Moore finished with a game-high 28 points, with help from Zegarowski (15) and Traore (13). Trumper finished with eight points and led the team in rebounds with 10. Bentley was buoyed by 15 points apiece from Laput and graduate student Colton Lawrence. Jordan Mello-Klein followed with 13 points and snagged nine rebounds as well.

Next up for the Ravens is the regular-season finale on Tuesday, Feb. 22, against NE10 opponent Assumption University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse, following the team's Senior Day ceremony.