Ellis Cooper goes for 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists and 2 blocks

RINDGE, N.H. (February 29, 2012) -- The No. 24 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team tried to pull off a furious second-half rally on Wednesday night, but the Ravens came up just short in a tough 69-65 setback to UMass-Lowell in the Northeast-10 Conference Semifinals in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The top-seeded Ravens fell to 21-7, while fourth-seeded Lowell improved to 20-8 and advanced to the conference title game on Saturday versus third-seeded Stonehill.

Franklin Pierce got 21 points from junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) and 19 from sophomore forward Ellis Cooper (Northamption, Mass.). 

Cooper was the Ravens' offensive spark in the opening 20 minutes as he scored 13 points, but Franklin Pierce found itself trailing 36-29 at halftime. Jean-Guillaume was Franklin Pierce's offensive catalyst in the second half with 15 points as the Ravens tried to climb out of a 14-point hole.

UMass-Lowell took its 14-point lead at 43-29 with 17:41 remaining when Dipanjot Singh buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to cap a quick 5-0 burst by the River Hawks to begin the stanza.

Franklin Pierce, the NE-10's regular season champion, did not fold and went right back to work, scoring eight-straight points to pull within six. Sophomore guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) aided the run with six points, while Jean-Guillaume added a layup.

Antonio Bivins stemmed the tide with a basket for Lowell, but Jean-Guillaume answered with five-straight points on a triple and driving layup. Cooper hit one of two free throws moments later and the Ravens had pulled to within two at 45-43 with 11:57 left.

The teams traded baskets over the next couple of minutes, including Jean-Guillaume and Lowell's Akeem Williams, who took turns knocking down three-pointers. Jean-Guillaume drained another one at the 7:18 mark to cut the River Hawks advantage to 57-54.

UMass-Lowell responded with a 7-0 run, kick-started by a jumper from Matt Welch, who pumped in 16 points for the River Hawks. Robbie Walton knocked down a three from the right wing on Lowell's next possession, and Singh laid in a bucket moments later to give the River Hawks a double-digit lead at 64-54 with 4:29 remaining.

It was then Franklin Pierce's turn to rally and the Ravens did just that by reeling off nine-consecutive points to pull within one with 2:17 to go. Senior guard Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) sparked the run with a four-point play on a three-pointer and ensuing free throw. Jean-Guillaume added a pair of foul shots and Van Oostrum capped it with another deep triple from the right wing.

Singh answered with a three-pointer at the other end of the court to make it 67-63, but Cooper was able to shave Lowell's lead in half with a pair of free throws with 1:00 left.

The Ravens had an opportunity to tie or possibly win the game in the closing seconds, but freshman forward Ryen Vilmont's (Philadelphia, Pa.) three-point attempt was long off the back iron and Welch was able to grab the rebound before being fouled. He calmly sank the following two free throws to seal the win and send the River Hawks to Saturday's title game.

Williams led UMass-Lowell with 19 points, while Singh added 18. Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, as the River Hawks went at a 39-percent clip (26-of-65) and the Ravens at 37 percent (21-of-57).

Lowell opened the game by scoring the first six points, including getting a pair of baskets from Williams. The River Hawks held a 17-9 advantage with 13:23 remaining in the frame, but Franklin Pierce countered with a 13-0 run, keyed by 10 points from Cooper, to go up 22-19. 

The River Hawks eventually closed out the half on an 11-3 run to take the 36-29 lead into halftime.

Franklin Pierce is a lock to qualify for the 2012 NCAA Division II Tournament. The Ravens will now await word on their seed and who their first-round opponent will be as the brackets will be announced on Sunday night.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men's basketball and the upcoming NCAA Tournament, 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).