Boxscore

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Goldey-Beacom College men's basketball team suffered a second consecutive season-opening loss to Franklin Pierce University on Fri. night in the opening game of the Doubletree Doc Jacobs Classic hosted by Saint Michael's College.

Sophomore A.J. Picard had a breakout game for the Lightning with a career and game-high 16 points which included 5-of-5 shooting at the free-throw line. Also, freshman Marcus Porter shot 6-of-9 from the field to score 12 points while grabbing five rebounds in his collegiate debut.

GBC also saw significant contributions form senior transfer Tariq Uqdah and junior forward Lawrence Livingston. Uqdah, playing in a Lightning uniform for the first time, scored eight points and pulled down seven boards. Livingston also scored eight while hauling in a game-high eight rebounds and blocking four shots.

The Lightning (0-1) had a distinct advantage in field goal (45-34) and free-throw (88-62) shooting percentages, held a slight edge in rebounding (36-35), and outscored the Ravens in bench points, 13-2. However, similar to last year when GBC turned the ball over a season-high 21 times in a 97-93 overtime loss at the Jones Center, the Lightning were done in by 23 miscues which FPU cashed in for 24 points.

Goldey-Beacom led 45-42  nearing the nine-minute mark of the second half when the Ravens soared on an 11-0 run to claim a 53-45 advantage - the largest lead of the night held by either team - with 6:34 left to play. Twice the Lightning pulled within four, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way.

Neither team led by more than five in a first half that came to a close with the score knotted in, already, its sixth tie of the night. GBC had an early 10-5 lead after a jumper by Porter, but a 10-0 Ravens run had FPU up 15-10 a little over three minutes later. Two Porter layups and a three-point field goal by fellow freshman Curtis Hopkins later helped the Lightning on a 7-0 surge which turned a 17-12 deficit into a 19-17 advantage right at the nine minute mark. Finally, after FPU's Eric Jean-Guillaume knocked down a three-pointer at the 1:34 mark, Picard's conventional three-point play right before the half sent both teams into the locker room deadlocked at 26.

The Lightning led for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half but never by any more than three points. Ultimately with a 45-42 lead and 9:20 left in regulation, they succumbed to an 11-0 Ravens run and could never get any closer than four from that point on. FPU made 4-of-7 at the line to close out the game with a 63-59 victory.

GBC returns to action in the Doc Jacobs Tournament as the Lightning take on host Saint Michael's College tomorrow, Sat. at 6 p.m.