Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris with 15 points & 7 rebounds in the win

RINDGE, N.H. (January 29, 2014) – Senior forward Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens) pumped in a team-high 15 points, and the Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team overcame a shaky first half with strong second-half shooting to pull out a 65-54 win over Adelphi on Wednesday night at The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

The Ravens improved to 15-3 overall and 10-3 in the Northeast-10, while the Panthers dipped to 4-15 and 2-11 in league play.

Two other Ravens logged double-figures in scoring, including junior forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) and freshman guard Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.), as each came up big offensively for Franklin Pierce in the second half.

Vilmont netted 11 of his 14 points in the second 20 minutes, as it came on a night when he was honored for scoring his 1,000^th career point last Saturday against Southern Connecticut State. He was 2-of-2 from the floor, including a 6-for-6 effort from the foul line in the second half. Vilmont hit a huge three midway through the frame to give the Ravens a little bit of breathing room.

Gittens had 10 of his 13 points in the final stanza, and threw down a fastbreak dunk just a few minutes after Vilmont’s triple to enable the Ravens to pull away from the Panthers.

Franklin Pierce shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half, which was in sharp contrast to just a 29-percent shooting effort in the opening 20 minutes.

The Ravens were able to push the tempo more in the second half and get transition baskets, which led to an 11-2 edge in fastbreak points.

Franklin Pierce also got after it on the defensive end, forcing Adelphi into 13 turnovers, while committing just six itself.

Anthony Libroia led all scorers with 21 points for Adelphi, while Duane Morgan tallied 13. Boris Fodouop collected a game-high 11 rebounds.

Vourliotakis had a solid all-around game for the Ravens by ripping down seven boards, blocking two shots, and swiping a pair of steals. Gittens, too, had an important all-around game, dishing out five helpers and logging five boards.

Both teams struggled from the floor in the early going of the game, and neither one could string together a significant run to take a commanding advantage. Franklin Pierce, though, did get things going offensively in the final three minutes of the half, and after trailing 24-19, outscored the Panthers, 8-2, to take a narrow 27-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Vourliotakis kick-started the surge with a layup, and sophomore Tyler Iacuone (Mahopac, N.Y.) followed with a deep three ball to tie it. After a Libroia basket put Adelphi back on top by two, senior Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) bombed in a three late to send the Ravens in up one.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday afternoon when the Ravens travel to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on Le Moyne in a 2 p.m. tip.

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(.)