WALTHAM, MASS. (March 8, 2022) – The battle for the East Region of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament kicks-off this coming Saturday, as the east division's #2 seed Franklin Pierce University gets set to clash with #7 St. Thomas Aquinas College in the Quarterfinal Round at the Dana Athletic Center in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The start time for the game has been set, with tip-off scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.

This past Sunday marked the finale of the NE10 Men's Basketball playoffs, with Franklin Pierce appearing in the Championship round for just the second time in program history, and the first time since 2012-13. Battling Bentley University for the NE10 crown, the Ravens fought hard and played through to a close final-score of 86-82, unfortunately a loss. However, despite the result, Franklin Pierce was in a position to qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament, and did just that, claiming the #2 seed behind host Bentley University.

Franklin Pierce (18-10) made some serious noise this season along with a roster full of talent, rallying behind a top three of Isaiah Moore, Maxwell Zegarowski & Mohamad Traore.  Moore led all NE10 players in points scored, currently averaging 23.0 points up to this point. As a result, Moore was this year's recipient of the NE10 "Player of the Year" award. Max Zegarowski this season was a lethal component to the Ravens three-point shooting success, averaging 44.2% from the arc, which was good for a 3^rd overall ranking among shooters in the NE10. Mohamad Traore had a successful introductory season for the Ravens, contributing offensively on a nightly basis. In his first season, Traore has averaged 13.3 points-per-game and 31.2 minutes on the floor on a nightly basis. Additional players provided the Ravens with solid depth throughout the season and into the playoffs, with notable performances from freshman forward Sean Trumper (Ashford, United Kingdom), junior guard Brandon Kolek (Cumberland, R.I.) and sophomore forwards Sean Bresnan (Yonkers, N.Y.) and Matt Hofrenning (Minneapolis, MN.).

Head coach David Chadbourne marshalled the Ravens to their 18-10 overall record, which for them was their best single-season performance in seven seasons, dating back to the 2013-14 campaign. Adding to more awards from the NE-10, Chadbourne received "Coach of the Year" from the Conference for this past season.

St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) dominated the East Coast Conference this season, finishing atop the standings and receiving a bye into the semifinals, which saw them successfully reaching the ECC Championship Round. In a home matchup with Daemen College, the Spartans took the decisive win 59-48, winning their sixth ECC title, and as many in the past seven seasons. With a NE10 heavy lineup in the regional tournament, the Spartans enter as the #7 seeded team in the region.

The Spartans have also worked with a leading trio of players this season, with seniors Demetre Roberts (Mount Vernon, N.Y.), Osbel Carabello (Bolivar, Venezuela) and Grant Singleton (Sumter, SC) leading the charge. Both Roberts and Carabello finished in the ECC top five ranked players in points this season, with each scoring an average of 16.2 and 14.9 points-per-game respectively. Additionally, each were recipients of the ECC Men's Basketball All-Conference First Team award. Singleton, who received Second Team accolades, also made his presence known nightly, consistently contributing to the score sheet for the Spartans.

Head coach Tobin Anderson was also a "Coach of the Year" recipient, respective to the ECC. The successful 2021-22 campaign was his ninth season with the program.

To tune into the Quarterfinal matchup between Franklin Pierce University and St. Thomas Aquinas, you can watch it live here: Bentley - Home (stretchinternet.com)

For LiveStats throughout the contest, you can find them at 2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule - Franklin Pierce (fpuravens.com).