Ellis Cooper goes for game-high tying 16 points; Ryen Vilmont
tosses in career-high 15 points while pulling down seven
rebounds
COLCHESTER, Vt. (November 18, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce
University men's baskeball team got back to its early-season
winning ways on Friday night with a 63-59 triumph over
Goldey-Beacom on the opening day of the Saint Michael's Tournament.
The Ravens improved to 3-1, while Goldey-Beacom dipped to 0-1.
Four Ravens scored in
double-figures, including a team-high 16 points from sophomore
forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.). Cooper
also swiped four steals, pulled down two rebounds and dished out an
assist to cap an all-around solid evening.
Senior guard Nigel Van
Oostrum (Sheffield, England) and freshman forward
Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) followed with 15
points apiece, while junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume
(Stamford, Conn.) added 13. Vilmont collected seven
rebounds and three blocks to go along with his career-high point
total.
Franklin Pierce overcame a sub-par
shooting night (33 percent) by turning in a strong defensive effort
and forcing Goldey-Beacom into 23 turnovers. The Ravens, who swiped
11 steals, were much more careful with the basketball, turning it
over just 12 times.
That defensive effort turned the
game around for Franklin Pierce late in the second half as the
Ravens found themselves trailing 45-42 with under nine minutes
remaining. Cooper notched a three-point play on a layup and free
throw to knot the score and followed at the other end of the court
with a steal and feed to Jean-Guillaume, who laid in a basket to
put the Ravens up by two at 47-45.
Cooper forced another steal on
Goldey-Beacom's next possession and laid in a basket on the
offensive end to put the Ravens up by four with 7:40 to go.
Sophomore Igor Lebov (Toronto, Ont.) added a layup
of his own moments later, and Cooper followed with another lay-in
to cap a Franklin Pierce 11-0 run, which put the Ravens up 53-45
with 6:34 left.
The teams continued to trade baskets over the next several minutes
but Goldey-Beacom could never get closer than four points the rest
of the way. Jean-Guillaume hit three free throws in the final 60
seconds, while Vilmont added a pair of his own to seal the win for
the Ravens.
Franklin Pierce held a 24-8
advantage in points off turnovers, while also gaining a 12-6
advantage in fast-break points.
A.J. Picard, who tossed in a
game-high tying 16 points for Goldey-Beacom, drained a pair of
jumpers in the opening minutes of the game to stake his squad to a
10-5 advantage. However, the Ravens countered with a 10-0 run,
highlighted by eight points from Vilmont on a pair of triples and a
dunk, to take a 15-10 lead with 13:48 to go until
halftime.
The first half saw six ties and
four lead changes. Jean-Guillaume gave the Ravens a 26-23 lead with
1:34 remaining after a three-pointer, but Picard converted a
three-point play in the closing seconds to tie the game at 26-26
heading into the locker room at halftime.
Marcus Porter was Goldey-Beacom's
other double-figure scorer as he tossed in 12 points on 6-of-9
shooting from the floor. Goldey-Beacom shot 44 percent (21-of-47)
from the floor for during the game.
Franklin Pierce returns to action
Saturday when the Ravens take on Concordia during the final day of
action at the St. Mike's tournament. The game will tip off at 4
p.m.
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/FranklinPierceAthletics).