Ellis Cooper logs double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds

MANCHESTER, N.H. (November 9, 2012) -- The No. 10 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team had four players score in double-figures on Friday night as the Ravens opened their 2012-13 season with an impressive 81-70 win over LIU Post at the SNHU Fieldhouse in Manchester, N.H. The Ravens improved to 1-0, while the Pioneers, who were receiving votes in the national poll, fell to 0-1.

Sophomore forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) paced the Franklin Pierce offensive attack with a game-high 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, while also collecting seven rebounds. Junior forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) logged a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while also handing out a trio of assists and swiping a steal.

Senior forward, and preseason national player of the year, Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.), tossed in 15 points and handed out six assists. Junior center Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens) added 10 points in the win.

Vaughn Allen and Tobin Carberry each pumped in 19 points for the Pioneers in the setback.
The Ravens had trouble getting into the flow of the game early, but a late first-half run set the stage for a strong second half, which would never see them trail at any point during that stretch. 

Trailing 31-24 with a little under seven minutes left in the first half, Franklin Pierce closed out the frame on a 13-3 run to take a 37-34 lead into the locker room. Cooper sparked the surge with three-consecutive points and Vilmont added to it with a deep triple from the top of the key moments later. Five different Ravens scored during the run.

The game remained very close in the opening minutes of the second half, but LIU Post could not overtake the Ravens at any point.

Franklin Pierce nursed a slim 55-54 lead with 8:26 remaining, but was finally able to distance itself from the Pioneers by scoring 16 of the game's next 23 points to open up a double-digit advantage at 71-61 with 2:19 to go. Junior guards Georgious Papapetrou (Athens, Greece) and Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) each dropped in a three during the run, while Jean-Guillaume and Vilmont chipped in with four points apiece. Jean-Guillaume capped the rally with a driving layup, which essentially put the game out of reach for LIU Post.

The Ravens led by as many as 13 points in two separate instances late in the game to seal the win. 

Franklin Pierce came up big on the defensive end by limiting the Pioneers to just 18 percent shooting (2-of-11) from three-point range, and forcing them into 21 turnovers. LIU Post also didn't help its chance at an upset by converting just 12-of-27 attempts from the free throw line.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday night when the Ravens take on Wilmington (Del.) at 5:30 p.m. in Manchester.

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 Franklin Pierce men's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)