Manchester nets 20 to lead Ravens in second collegiate outing

COLCHESTER, Vt. (November 17, 2007) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team opened a 14-point halftime lead and never looked back, posting a 71-55 victory over Mercy College in a non-conference clash on day two of the Doubletree Hotels Doc Jacobs Classic, hosted by Saint Michael’s College, at Ross Sports Center this afternoon.

Redshirt freshman guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine/Gorham) led all scorers with 20 points in just his second collegiate contest as he buried 6-of-9 three-pointers on 7-10 shooting overall, to go with three steals for Franklin Pierce. Junior Timothy Munch (Blauvelt, N.Y./Storm King Prep) added 17 points, shooting 7-for-17 from the field overall, six rebounds and two steals, while classmate Rimas Varanauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania/The Winchendon School) totaled 11 points (5-7 shooting), a team-best eight rebounds (five offensive) and a blocked shot.

Senior Paul Flowers (New York, N.Y./Hostos CC) led Mercy with a double-double effort of 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He hit 6-of-12 shots from the field and converted all four free-throw attempts to go with five steals and three assists. Freshman Jimmy Gunville (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) added 15 points, while junior Michael Marin (Flushing, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Franklin Pierce hit 45.6-percent (26-57) of its shot from the field, which included 30 three-point attempts (connecting on 10 for 33.3%), and converted 9-10 free-throws. The Ravens forced 19 Mercy turnovers and limited the Mavericks to just 37.7% (20-53) shooting, including 5-18 (27.8%) from three-point range.

Mercy was held to 33.3% (8-24) shooting in the first half as Franklin Pierce built a 37-23 halftime lead. The Ravens shot 46.7% (14-30) from the field in the opening 20-minutes.

Franklin Pierce (2-0, 0-0 NE-10) opens its home and Northeast-10 Conference schedule on Tuesday when it hosts Assumption College at 7:30 p.m. Mercy (0-2, 0-0 ECC) travels to Nyack College on Tuesday for a non-conference clash at 6 p.m.