STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Okwuosa – career-high 23 points (7-12 FG, 5-7 3-FG, 4-4 FT), 8 rebounds
• Junior Matt Becht (Vienna, Va.) – 17 points (5-9 FG, 5-9 3-FG, 2-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 3 steals
• Sophomore Evan Guillory (Springfield, Mo.) – 15 points (5-11 FG, 5-6 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists

KEY MOMENTS

• A pair of Becht 3-pointers powered a 10-0 Southern New Hampshire run over the opening 3:33, but Franklin Pierce countered with a 15-4 burst that gave it a one-point lead midway through the first half. An 18-4 blitz from the Ravens later in the stanza gave them their largest lead of the night at 35-25 with 2:27 on the clock. The Penmen answered with a 9-2 run – highlighted by a pair of Okwuosa treys – but FPU hit a triple right before the buzzer to take a 40-34 lead into the break.
• The Franklin Pierce lead was 46-39 just over three minutes into the second half when a 21-3 rush gave SNHU a 60-49 advantage with 8:04 remaining. Okwuosa led the way with seven points during the stretch, while junior Noah Kamba (Lynn, Mass.) added six.
• The Ravens used a 12-1 run just over 30 seconds later to seize a 65-64 lead with 4:46 to go. A layup from Guillory 25 seconds later put SNHU back in front for good and sparked a game-ending 11-2 run that allowed the Penmen some breathing room. Okwuosa and Kamba produced four and three points, respectively, during the stretch.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kamba netted nine points (3-7 FG, 3-5 3-FG, 2-2 FT) and corralled three rebounds.
• Sophomore Jordan Brathwaite (Silver Spring, Md.) posted five points (2-5 FG, 1-2 FT) and four boards.
• Sophomore Derrick Grant (Plainfield, N.J.) scored two points (1-3 FG) and grabbed seven boards.
• Graduate student Ryan Layman (Wrentham, Mass.) chipped in two points (1-1 FG), five boards and a pair of assists.
• Southern New Hampshire outshot Franklin Pierce, 48.1 percent (25-52) to 39.7 percent (25-63), including 50 percent (13-26) to 30.8 percent (8-26) from behind the arc.
• SNHU was also better at the line, 85.7 percent (12-14) to 60 percent (9-15).
• The Penmen won the glass (37-35), while the Ravens captured the paint (32-22), scored more points off turnovers (13-7), second chance points (10-4) and bench points (14-13), and submitted a better assist-to-turnover ratio (14/7-11/9).

NOTES

• Southern New Hampshire, which is receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Coaches Poll, has won 12 of its last 16, 11 of its last 12 and five-in-a-row.
• With Bentley University losing, SNHU pulls into a three-way tie for first place in the NE10 standings with the Falcons and Saint Anselm College.
• SNHU leads the all-time series with Franklin Pierce, 72-30, and has won two straight. The victory snaps a three-game losing skid on the road against the Ravens, as the Penmen win in Rindge for the first time since Nov. 18, 2017 (77-73).
• Okwuosa's previous career high was 20 points, which he last achieved against Southern Connecticut State University on Jan. 24. He is averaging 18.7 points per contest over his last three.
• Becht, the reigning NE10 Player of the Week, has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games and has reached nine points in every contest this season. During his eight-game run of 10-plus points, he is scoring 19.1 ppg.
• Guillory has put together a four-game, double-digit scoring streak (14.3 ppg).

WHAT'S NEXT

• The Penmen are back in action Saturday, Feb. 11 (3:30 p.m.) when they play host to the College of Saint Rose at the Stan Spirou Field House.