Dozier, Jean-Guillaume Rally Franklin Pierce Men's Basketball for 97-93 Win at Goldey-Beacom in Season-Opener

WILMINGTON, Del. – Sophomore guard Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) hit a three-pointer 1:12 into overtime on Saturday afternoon to give the Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team the lead for good as it rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to post a 97-93, season-opening victory over Goldey-Beacom in non-conference play at Joseph West Jones Center. Senior guard Sam McDuffie scored a game-high 34 points in defeat for Goldey-Beacom.

With the win, Franklin Pierce opens the season at 1-0 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Goldey-Beacom falls to 0-1 (0-0 Central Atlantic).

The Ravens trailed by 15 four minutes into the second half when freshman guard Andre Blackwood (Paterson, N.J.) hit a pair of three-pointers to kick off a 19-2 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes, which culminated with a layup by freshman forward Adrianos Vourliotakis Perolikaris (Athens, Greece) to give the Ravens a 55-53 lead with 11:25 to play in regulation. Sophomore guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) added four points of his own during the run on a pair of buckets.

From there, neither team led by more than four points for the remainder of regulation. The Ravens took a two-point lead with 13 seconds to play when Blackwood split a pair of free throws. McDuffie would send the game to overtime, as he tied the game at 85-85 with a layup with six seconds to play.

Senior guard Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) scored 18 of his team-high 26 points during the furious second-half comeback on 4-for-7 shooting and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Dozier also dished out five assists in the second half alone, while Jean-Guillaume chipped in 12 points on 6-for-9 from the floor in the half.

In overtime, Franklin Pierce never trailed on its way to the four-point victory. After Jean-Guillaume hit a jumper, McDuffie hit a layup to create the game’s final tie at 87-87 with 4:01 to play in the extra session. Van Oostrum hit the three-pointer 13 seconds later to give the Ravens the lead for good. Dozier would hit five of six free throws in the final 45 seconds to put the game on ice.

Overall, Dozier (26 points) and Jean-Guillaume (24) led four Ravens in double digits, as they were joined by Van Oostrum (11) and Blackwood (10). In addition, junior center Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and a team-best 10 rebounds. Jean-Guillaume collected a game-best five steals.

For Goldey-Beacom, McDuffie’s 34 points led the way on 12-for-17 from the floor and 8-for-12 from the free-throw line. It was a two-headed attack from the Lightning, who got 29 points from senior forward Terrence Parkes, while no other players reached double digits. Parkes grabbed a game-best 14 rebounds to complete his double-double.

The Ravens return to the court on Wednesday, Nov. 17, when they travel to Stonehill for their Northeast-10 Conference opener. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Merkert Gymnasium in Easton, Mass. Franklin Pierce’s first home game is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. against Saint Michael’s.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics’ official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).