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 1,000th 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(.)
