Ryen Vilmont throws in 19 points to help lead Ravens to victory

LOWELL, Mass. (December 10, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team overcame a late second-half deficit to pull off a wild 86-80 win over UMass-Lowell on Saturday at the Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Mass. Franklin Pierce improved to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in the Northeast-10, while Lowell fell to 6-4 and 3-4 in league play.

Junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) scored 18 of his season-high 27 points in the second half and shot 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from three-point range. He also collected five rebounds, handed out three assists, blocked two shots and swiped a steal.

Freshman Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in with 19 points and seven boards, while sophomore frontcourt-mate Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) was the Ravens other double-figure scorer with 17 points (7-of-9 shooting), five boards and two steals.

Matt Welch tossed in 22 points for the River Hawks, including a 6-for-10 effort from behind the arc. Scott Tavares-Taylor scored 19 points, while Antonio Bivins came off the bench to add 17.

The game was a back-and-forth affair the entire 40 minutes as each side mounted several runs. UMass-Lowell, which trailed by as many as 18 points midway through the second half, used a lengthy run to take a 77-74 lead with 4:02 remaining after a Bivins three-pointer.

Franklin Pierce called a timeout as the home crowd rose to its feet to applaud Lowell's late rally, but the Ravens were quick to quiet the crowd coming out of the break as Jean-Guillaume converted a three-point play on a layup and free throw to knot the score at 77-all.

Jean-Guillaume's three-point play proved to be the difference as Franklin Pierce responded by scoring the next eight points to break the tie and take an 85-77 lead with only :23 left. Cooper hit a driving layup to start the run and Jean-Guillaume followed with six-straight points to cap it, including a jumper and four-consecutive free throws.

Franklin Pierce shot 55 percent from the floor (31-of-56), including a 52 percent effort from beyond the arc (10-of-19). The Ravens also shot a solid 87 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line, and did a nice job on the glass, outrebounding the River Hawks 39-27.

UMass-Lowell came out firing in the early stages of the first half and used a 12-0 run to build a 22-9 advantage with 14:36 left in the stanza. Welch knocked down a triple on the front end and back end of the run to stake the River Hawks to the 13-point lead.

Franklin Pierce didn't fold and slowly chipped away at the deficit throughout the remaining minutes of the first half and eventually took a 37-36 lead with 3:54 left until halftime following a pair of free throws from Cooper. Jean-Guillaume knocked down a late three-pointer to send the Ravens into the locker room at halftime with a 46-42 edge.

Coooper poured in 13 points for the Ravens, while Welch netted 14 to lead all scorers in the opening 20 minutes.

Franklin Pierce's disciplined style of play late in the first half was a main factor in the Ravens coming out of the second half gates on fire and building a 67-49 lead with 13:11 left.

Franklin Pierce will now take its semester break and return to action on Jan. 3 when the Ravens play host to Southern Connecticut State at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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).