SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (1/21/23) – The Franklin Pierce men's basketball team kept the hot streak rolling on Saturday afternoon, escaping with a 79-75 victory over American International College (AIC) in Northeast-10 action at the Henry A. Butova Gymnasium.

It is now three four straight victories for the Ravens, as their season record improves to 11-7 (6-5 NE10) following the effort. The Yellow Jackets fall to 4-16 (2-10 NE10) with their eighth straight loss.

The Ravens and Yellow Jackets traded points to kick off the first half, with five lead changes through the opening ten minutes. AIC, through the opening frame, found frequent success from behind the arc and scored 27 of their 36 first half points from three-point range, attempting to distance themselves from the Ravens early. However, Pierce found a recipe that worked for them late in the half, as they posted a 12-6 run which included a combined nine points between Jarnel Snow-Guzman (Lynn, Mass.) and Mohamad Traore (Hyde Park, Mass.), all of which came from behind the arc. The Yellowjackets would convert on another three-point basket before the expiration of the first half, but would only hold a fragile 36-33 advantage entering the break.

The second half's opening four minutes saw only points made from free throws, with the AIC lead remaining just three points at 40-37. With under 15:00 to play, senior Brandon Kolek (Cumberland, R.I.) powered a Ravens 9-0 run over a 1:30 span with seven of the points, bringing Pierce back into the lead by a 48-44 score. Nearing the midway point of the half, Kolek continued to rain down on the Yellow Jackets with a three-point jumper from up top, adding a fourth point on the free throw after drawing the and-one on the shot. As the half continued, the Ravens continued to trail AIC up until the final four minutes, when sophomore Antonio Chandler (Piscataway, N.J.) put them ahead for good on a made layup. Over the course of the final few minutes, the Ravens outscored the Yellow Jackets 12-7 including Chandler's go-ahead layup, guiding their way to the closely contested 79-75 final.

As a team, the Ravens rallied behind five different players with double-digit figures, collectively shooting 27-of-56 (48.2%) from the floor. Brandon Kolek led the charge with 17 points scored, while Jarnel Snow-Guzman and Mohamad Traore each chalked up 14 points in the win. Junior forward Sean Bresnan (Yonkers, N.Y.) and sophomore Antonio Chandler also matched each other on the scoresheet, with both players contributing 12 points apiece.

Men's Basketball returns home as they approach the home stretch of the season, and will open a two-game week against NE10 opponents on Tuesday, January 24^th against Assumption at 7:30 p.m. from The Fieldhouse.