Ellis Cooper goes for a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds

BOXSCORE

RINDGE, N.H. (January 2, 2011) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s basketball team returned from its holiday break in fine fashion on Sunday as the Ravens downed in-state rival Southern New Hampshire, 69-59, at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens improved to 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Northeast-10, while SNHU dipped to 5-6 and 1-6 in league play. The win for Franklin Pierce also snapped a three-game winning streak for the Penmen.

Four Ravens scored in double-figures, including freshman forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.), who logged a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Eight of his 11 boards came on the offensive end.

Sophomore guards Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) and Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) each chipped in with 12 points, while senior backcourt-mate Kinard Dozier (Dedham, Mass.) came off the bench to toss in 10 points (all in the second half). Jean-Guillaume handed out a game-high seven assists and grabbed five rebounds, while Van Oostrum had six helpers and five boards.

Tory Stapleton led all scorers as he pumped in 21 points for the Penmen, while Craig Marriro added 12. The Penmen owned a 33-32 advantage on the glass.

The game was close throughout and the lead changed hands several times before the Ravens used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to take a 54-48 advantage with 8:05 to play. Senior guard Jeff Manchester (Gorham, Maine) sparked the rally with a steal and a dunk, and junior forward Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) followed with a put-back to put the Ravens on top. Dozier hit a driving layup moments later and Jean-Guillaume capped the surge with a deep three to give Franklin Pierce the six-point advantage.

SNHU answered with back-to-back layups from Marriro and Stapleton to pull within two with 5:19 left. Franklin Pierce freshman guard Andre Blackwood (Paterson, N.J.) responded after Stapleton’s layup with a three-point play, and moments later, Van Oostrum laid in a bucket to push the Ravens’ advantage out to seven at 59-52.

Stapleton seemed to put an end to the rally with a layup at the other end of the court, but a personal foul and technical foul on SNHU moments later enabled Franklin Pierce to convert four free throws to open up a commanding 63-54 lead with just 3:12 remaining. Van Oostrum was fouled going to the basket, and after making the first free throw, a technical was given to SNHU, thus allowing Dozier to knock down a pair of foul shots. Van Oostrum followed by making the second of his two attempts, and those four foul shots turned out to be the difference as Franklin Pierce went on to pick up the win.

The win came about because of 20 minutes of strong play in the second half as the Ravens owned an 18-2 advantage in points off turnovers, a 16-14 advantage in points in the paint, a 15-3 advantage in bench points and a 9-0 advantage in fast-break points. Franklin Pierce shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the floor in the second half, while forcing the Penmen into 17 turnovers.

The first half saw six ties and as many lead changes. The Ravens led by as many as seven points in the stanza, including a 22-15 lead with 10:31 to go until halftime. However, SNHU answered with an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to grab a 26-24 advantage and eventually built a 36-34 lead at the intermission. Cooper had 13 points in the first half, while Van Oostrum handed out five of his six assists.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Wednesday night when the Ravens play host to Pace at 7:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse.

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).