Ryen Vilmont tops 1,000 points for his career

RINDGE, N.H. (January 25, 2014) – Junior forward Ryen Vilmont (;Philadelphia, Pa.) pumped in a career-high 33 points to reach 1,000 for his career on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough as the 21^st-ranked Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team lost a 106-95 shootout to Southern Connecticut State at The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

The Ravens had their three-game winning streak snapped in falling to 14-3 overall and 9-3 in the Northeast-10, while the Owls won for the fifth-straight time in improving to 16-2 and 10-2 in league play. Both teams came into Saturday’s game in first place in their respective divisions of the NE-10.

Southern Connecticut topped the century mark for the second-straight game, and the third time in the last five, thanks to a 53 percent shooting clip from the floor, including a 47 percent success rate from behind the arc. The Owls were just as lethal in the second half by going 60 percent overall and 59 percent from three-land.

Greg Langston and Tylon Smith poured in over 30 points each, as the duo went for 33 and 31, respectively. Each netted 21 and 19 in the second half as Southern Connecticut turned a slim three-point halftime lead into an eight-point advantage (56-48) just 90 seconds into the frame on a triple from Langston and back-to-back layups from Smith.

Vilmont, who was 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, knocked down a deep three on the next possession for the Ravens, but Langston countered with a triple of his own at the other end. Langston’s answer proved to be a theme in the second half, as Franklin Pierce would try to chip away at the deficit and get to within a possession or two, only to see SCSU hit a big basket or string multiple ones together to push back out its lead.

A Smith free throw and Austin Carter dunk at the midway point of the frame stretched Southern Connecticut’s lead out to double-digits for the first time at 82-70.

The lead continued to hover around that range for the remainder of the game with Franklin Pierce getting to within six at one point (92-86) on a pair of free throws from senior forward Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens).

However three-straight free throws by Southern Connecticut following back-to-back personal and technical fouls on Franklin Pierce with a little under a minute remaining sealed the win for the visitors, who had come into the game receiving honorable-mention votes in the NABC Division II Top-25 Poll.

Michael Mallory came off the bench to chip in with 13 points for Southern Connecticut State, while Stefon Williams rounded out the double-figure scoring attack with 10.

Senior forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) had 12 points for the Ravens, while Vourliotakis added 10. Junior guard Paul Becklens (Boston, Mass.) came off the bench to score 13, which marked his first double-figure scoring output in a Ravens’ uniform.

Vilmont had 19 points in the second half, as the Ravens tried to hang around. He netted 14 in the opening 20 minutes, which was a back-and-forth affair with neither side gaining too large of an upper hand. Vilmont becomes the 32^nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points for his career. He needed 33 entering the game, and is exactly on the mark heading into the remainder of the season.

The Ravens held a 48-37 advantage on the boards, but 19 turnovers compared to just 10 by the Owls limited scoring opportunities for Franklin Pierce as it tried to mount a comeback.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Wednesday night when the Ravens play host to Adelphi at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s basketball, please visit the team’s page at http://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 http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)