Rindge, N.H. (February 26, 2022) - The Northeast Division's No. 2 seeded Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team took a win in the opening round of the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship, defeating American International College by a close 86-82 final score on Saturday afternoon. Junior guard Isaiah Moore (Temple Hills, Md.) and forward Maxwell Zegarowski (South Hamilton, Mass.) led the way for the Ravens, scoring 32 and 17 points respectively in the effort.

The Ravens started things off quickly and jumped to an early 11-2 lead within the first 5 minutes of play. Through the first half, Franklin Pierce as a team connected on 50.0% of their field goal attempts (16-32), and pull down 22 total rebounds. Mid-way through the first half, the Yellowjackets showed some signs of life and thinned the deficit, eventually pulling to within two points. In response, junior guard Brandon Kolek (Cumberland R.I.) and freshman guard Mohamad Traore (Hyde Park, Mass.) hit back-to-back three pointers just 30 seconds apart to reestablish a lead for the Ravens. The first half finished up with the Ravens holding onto a 40-32 lead, and from there, the lead would remain with Franklin Pierce.

At the start of the second half, Mohamad Traore would pick up right where he left off, draining an early three-point basket. After a brief pull-back from the Yellowjackets, Isaiah Moore would go on his best streak of the contest, going 5-5 from inside the arc, eventually finishing the game 12-17.  Second year forward Sean Bresnan (Yonkers, N.Y.) provided the Ravens with some insurance with 7:17 left to play, sending home a long three-pointer to extend the lead to 66-52.  Bresnan would complete the half with 6 points scored, along with 3 rebounds, and finish the day with 10 total points. After another effort from American International to narrow the deficit, Franklin Pierce would take advantage on multiple trips to the line in the final minute, finding a home and scoring 7 of 8 free throws.

With the victory, the Ravens now advance to the Quarterfinal Round versus Assumption this coming Monday, February 28^th, with tip-off scheduled for 7pm ET.