DII Franklin Pierce hands Lesley 79-68 loss in opener
Story courtesy of Rob Palardy, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
RINDGE, N.H. – The Lesley University men’s
basketball team opened up their 2009-2010 season against NCAA
Division II opponent Franklin Pierce University and lost to the
Ravens 79-68. The Lynx are now 0-1 to start the season while the
Ravens improve to 1-0 following their first game of the year.
Four Lesley players were in double figures, including sophomore
Juan Nieves (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico/Saint Francis)
who scored 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench.
Lesley’s Jesus Trejo (METHUEN,
Mass./Methuen) had a near double-double with 11 points and
nine rebounds, while adding three blocks on the defensive end.
Trejo finished the game 5-of-10 from the floor in 31 minutes.
John Sanchez (CARSON, Calif./Saint John Bosco)
and Bryant Itonyo (MEDFORD, Mass./Medford) had 13
and 10 points, respectively. Sanchez got nine of his 13 points from
the free throw line by going 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He
also added six rebounds and five assists in his first game in a
Lynx uniform.
Franklin Pierce was led by Terrell Ray (BROOKLYN,
N.Y./Fort Hamilton) who scored a game-high 22 points and
grabbed 20 rebounds in a remarkable performance in the low-post.
Ray grabbed 12 offensive rebounds for the Ravens who outrebounded
the Lynx 65-28. Teammate Jeff Manchester (GORHAM,
Maine/Gorham) added 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the
field.
Lesley stayed within single digit points of a Franklin Pierce lead
for much of the first half until an 8-2 run over the final 2:25
gave the Ravens a 12-point advantage heading into halftime.
Franklin Pierce maintained their lead over the entire second half
and beat Lesley thanks to a strong presence in the paint and
dominating performance on the boards. The Lynx forced 30 Ravens
turnovers and held a 26-18 advantage in bench points to keep them
in the game.
Lesley will next play at Regis College on Monday, November 16 at
7:30 pm. Franklin Pierce hosts Post University on November 18.
