Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. - The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team had a furious comeback against Franklin Pierce that saw them take a late lead, but they could not hang on as the Ravens pulled away with an 81-79 win on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls drop to 15-4 overall and 10-2 in the Northeast-10, while Franklin Pierce improves to 9-8 and 6-6 in the conference. The loss snaps a six game win streak by the Owls, their longest this season.

Southern Connecticut was down 75-66 with 6:43 left after FPU's Matt Banton converted a four point play. Banton finished with 16 points, the Ravens' second leading scorer.

Desmond Williams (Torrington, Conn.) scored seven of the Owls' next eight points to pull to within one with 3:56 remaining. Williams finished as the game's leading scorer with 19 points and eight rebounds. All of his points came in the second half.

After the teams traded free throws, Michael Mallory (Waterbury, Conn.) converted an and-1 chance with 1:05 left to give Southern its first lead since it was 22-20 at the 9:05 mark in the first half. Mallory finished with 16 points (12 in the second half), six rebounds and three assists.

Banton responded with a layup on the other end with 44 seconds left to knot it up at 79. It was the fifth tie all game and the first in the second half.

The Owls would turn the ball over on their next two possessions which led to two free throws for Franklin Pierce. Williams attempted a three pointer at the buzzer but it did not fall.

SCSU shot 50-percent in the second half after shooting 38.9-percent in the first.

Southern Connecticut was down 43-35 at halftime and kicked off the second half with an 11-4 run to cut the Raven lead to one and force a timeout. FPU returned to the court and went on a 13-2 run to get their lead back up to 12, their biggest of the game, with 13:30 left.

Southern was able to cut it back to four on a Jack McCarthy and-1 with 9:28 left. McCarthy put up six points and one rebound and was one of nine Owls with points in the game.

The Owls had a 22-20 lead when FPU went on a 9-0 run midway through the first half to take a seven point lead. They would extend it to as much as 11 in the first half before Austin Carter (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Brett Buser (Glendale, N.Y.) cut into it to make the deficit eight at halftime. Carter finished the first half as the team's leaded scorer with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Buser and Stefon Williams (Jamaica, N.Y.) each had six points at the half.

Southern Connecticut returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Assumption at 7:30 p.m.