Playing in their second NorthEast-10 championship game, the Franklin Pierce men's basketball team played a thriller with hosts Bentley on Sunday, but was doomed by poor shooting en route to a 68–62 defeat.
The Ravens had only 11 minutes to go into the game, but the Falcons rallied on their way to win their 10th NE-10 tournament title.
"We didn't shoot the ball well throughout the game and gave him credit," said Franklin Pierce coach David Chadborn. “He had a good game plan and that made it difficult for us. We missed some shots which we usually do."
The Franklin Pierce trio of Isaiah Moore, Max Zegarowski and Mohamed Traore had 20, 14 and 13 points respectively. But those points came on shooting a combined 18-for-58 (31%). As a team, the Ravens shot 9-for-42 at 3-pointers.
Zagarovsky had the most difficult day. His 11 points in the first half led all scorers, but he went 1-for-5 for just three points in the second half.
"He just didn't make the shots," Zagarovsky said. "He was looking for something really cool. It sounds so simple, but it's just that. Max missed a few shots 80 percent of the time he did it. He just didn't do it today. It's basketball. Is."
Franklin Pierce took the lead in the first half, before Bentley fought to take a 40-34 lead at halftime. The Ravens started with 15-5 runs in the second half to take a 49-45 lead. Trior had eight points during the blast, and Moore added five.
Bentley responded with 14-4 runs to take a six-point lead with five minutes of play. A 3-pointer from Zagarowski cut the gap in two with 1:06 before the Falcons scored the final four points to bed the game.
"I think I was off today and I could have made a few shots down the stretch and put us a little bit more together when they went on the run," Moore said. "We've still got the (NCAA) tournament going, so we're going to stay positive."
The Ravens went 56-42, including 14-9 on the offensive glass. The defense forced 15 Falcon turnovers, helping to retain Franklin Pierce throughout the game.
The loss drops the Ravens to 17-10 on the season, but their place in next week's NCAA Tournament is sure. The regional is projected to be hosted by Bentley.
Chadborn said his team, which has no seniors and just one graduate student, could use the loss in an intense road environment as a lesson ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
"We try to grow all the time," Chadborn said. "I think it's a great experience not to be stubborn with it if something doesn't fall through. You try other ways to make things work, and we will."
The expected NCAA bid will be the first for the Ravens since going to three straight tournaments between 2012–2014, including a run for the Elite Eight in 2013, the program's only regional championship.