Ellis Cooper logs 12 points and nine rebounds for the Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (January 29, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team used a balanced offensive and defensive effort to pick up a satisfying 70-61 win over American International on Tuesday night at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 13-5 overall and 10-4 in the Northeast-10, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 6-12 and 3-11 in league play.

Three Ravens scored in double-figures, including sophomore forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.), who had 18 points and five rebounds. Frontcourt-mates Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) and Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens) narrowly missed double-doubles as Cooper went for 12 points and nine rebounds, while Vourliotakis added 10 points and nine boards.

Senior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) followed with nine points, while dishing out eight assists, swiping four steals, collecting three rebounds and blocking a shot. Nine of the 10 Ravens that played in the game scored. 

Franklin Pierce shot a solid 46 percent (22-of-48) from the field, while limiting AIC to just a 39 percent clip (23-of-59). The Ravens also held a 36-34 rebounding advantage.

American International was led in scoring by Ricky Hudson, who had a game-high 20 points, including four three-pointers. Sesoo Ikpah and Jason Perrier followed with 12 and 10, respectively.

The game was tightly contested in the early going with the score knotted at 20-all with 9:06 left until halftime.

Jean-Guillaume knocked down a trey to kick-start at 15-5 run by Franklin Pierce over the next four-and-a-half minutes to open up a 10-point advantage. Vilmont added a three moments later and Vourliotakis capped it with a driving layup. The Ravens, though, couldn’t shake AIC and took just a 39-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Franklin Pierce pushed its lead back out to double-figures at the 14:20 mark of the second half on a jumper from Jean-Guillaume to make it 47-37. Vourliotakis made the front end of two foul shots minutes later to give the Ravens their largest lead of the night at 54-42. 

AIC continued to hang around and Hudson’s triple with :39 left got the Yellow Jackets to within five at 66-61, but Vilmont and Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) each converted a pair of foul shots in the closing seconds to end any idea of comeback and seal the win for Franklin Pierce.

The win also snapped Franklin Pierce’s three-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets.

The Ravens return to action Saturday when they travel to face Saint Rose at 3:30 p.m. in Albany, N.Y.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s basketball, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase men’s basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)