RINDGE, NH (Feb. 14, 2008) – Junior F Rimas Varanauskas scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Franklin Pierce University defeated UMass Lowell, 59-55, Thursday night in a Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball tilt at the FPU Fieldhouse.

With the loss, UML slipped to 10-13 overall and 7-11 in the NE-10 entering Saturday’s home clash with No. 1 Bentley (4:00). The Ravens improved to 8-15 overall and 6-13 in the Conference.

Senior F Mike Gore (Wilmington, MA) led UML with a career-high 22 points as he converted 7 of 11 field goals and 8 of 10 free throws. Sophomore G Kevin Carr (Lancaster, OH) added 11 points and sophomore F Victor Colon (Chicago, IL) nine points off the bench.

Varanauskas meshed 6 of 10 attempts from the floor while junior G Tim Munch (Blauvelt, NY) chipped in 13 points.

FPU outrebounded the River Hawks 39-30 and also outscored them from long range, 21-9. One of the top long distance teams in the NE-10, UML converted only 3 of 22 attempts from 3-point territory (.136).

The Ravens posted their biggest lead, 46-35, with 7:09 left to play on a 3-point shot by freshman G Steve Ramos (Lynn, MA), but UML closed the deficit to two (49-47) with a 12-3 run, fueled by nine points from Gore.

A jumper by Gore brought UML within one (54-53) with 35 seconds left, but the Ravens converted 4 of 6 free throws and were the beneficiary of a pair of late misses by UML to seal the win.

FPU led at the break 27-20.