NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team defeated to Franklin Pierce, 76-73, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 at James Moore Field House. With the win, the Owls improve to 4-7 overall and 2-4 in the Northeast 10, while the Ravens fall to 7-4 overall and 4-2 in the NE10. Entering the game, Franklin Pierce was ranked fourth in the latest D2SIDA Men's Basketball East Region Media Poll.

In his first start and second game of his collegiate career, Sean James (West Hartford, Conn.) led the Owls with 17 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and making five of his nine three-point attempts. Zack Penn (New Hartford, Conn.) picked up a double-double with 10 points scored and a game-high 13 rebounds, while C.J. Seaforth (Hamden, Conn.) scored 14 points. Alex Lin (Hillsdale, N.J.) added 10 points of his own, while Elmin Redzepagic (Wolcott, Conn.) came off the bench to record eight points and eight rebounds while going 4-of-5 from the field.

How It Happened
First Half

• Franklin Pierce took a 14-10 lead to begin the game, but a made three-pointer from Seaforth and back-to-back baskets for Redzepagic gave Southern 17-14 lead. 
• After two Franklin Pierce free throws, Southern rattled off eight unanswered points, with Lin and Seaforth knocking down three-pointers, to give the Owls their largest lead of the half at 25-16 with 8:48 remaining. In total, Southern went on a 15-2 run that lasted just over four minutes and turned a four-point deficit to a nine-point lead.
• Franklin Pierce ended the run with two free throws and a three-pointer, and brought Southern's lead down 30-28 with 4:17 remaining. 
• Three-pointers on two straight possessions by James and a layup by Evan Gutowski (Trumbull, Conn.) upped Southern's lead back up to 38-30, and Southern maintained a 42-36 lead heading into halftime. 
• Seaforth powered Southern's offense in the half with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Lin scored seven points and James added six. 

Second Half

• Southern scored the first five points of the half to take a 47-36 lead, their largest of the game. Franklin Pierce immediately responded with a 10-0 run to make it a one-point game.
• James stopped the run with a three-pointer, and both teams continued to exchange baskets until the Ravens scored six straight points to take a 56-54 lead with 11:46 remaining. 
• Bennett made a layup and Redzepagic scored on two straight possessions to give Southern the lead back. Franklin Pierce cut Southern's lead back down to one, but James scored Southern's next eight points, including three-pointers on back-to-back possessions, and Leo Chaikin (South Hero, Vt.) made a free throw to give the Owls a 69-61 lead with 5:39 remaining. 
• The Ravens went on a 11-5 spurt to cut Southern's lead down to 74-72 heading into the final minute. After a foul against the Owls with seven seconds left, Franklin Pierce went 1-for-2 at the line. Chaikin was fouled and made both free throws to give Southern a three-point lead, and Franklin Pierce missed a three-pointer at the buzzer as Southern held on for a three-point victory.

Notes

• James' five made three-pointers were the most by a Southern player this season, and the most since Greg Jones made six against Stonehill on Feb. 25, 2020. 
• James' five made three-pointers were also the most by a Southern freshman since Ulyen Coleman (Brockton, Mass.) made six against Southern New Hampshire on Feb. 23, 2018. James has made seven of his 14 three-point attempts so far this season.
• Penn recorded his first double-double of the season and third of his career. He last had one on Nov. 20, 2018 against University of the Sciences. He also tied his career-high in rebounds with 13, also done on Nov. 14, 2021 vs Goldey-Beacom. 
• Seaforth recorded his fifth double-digit scoring game of the season, while Lin has reached the double-digit threshold in four consecutive games. 
• Southern has won 10 consecutive games at James Moore Field House against Franklin Pierce, with the Ravens' last win at Southern coming on Jan. 14, 2006 in overtime. Over their last 12 games, Southern is 9-3 against Franklin Pierce dating back to the 2010-2011 season.
• Southern turned the ball over just six times, their fewest since Jan. 16, 2016 against Saint Anselm when they had four. 

Up Next
Southern is back at on the road on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 as they travel to Stonehill to play the Skyhawks.