Andre Blackwood comes off the bench to drop in two triples and score 14 points

EASTON, Mass. (January 31, 2012) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team picked up a huge win on Tuesday night as the Ravens went on the road and knocked off first-place Stonehill, 82-79, in Merkert Gymnasium in Easton, Mass. The Ravens improved to 15-5 overall and 11-5 in the Northeast-10, while the Skyhawks fell to 14-6 and 11-5 in league play.

With the win, Franklin Pierce pulled off the regular season sweep of the Skyhawks as the Ravens also picked up a 57-47 triumph in Rindge back on Nov. 22. Tuesday's win also marked Franklin Pierce's second victory this season over a first-place team in the NE-10 standings as the Ravens downed Adelphi, 61-45, in Rindge back on Jan. 14.

Five Ravens scored in double-figures, including two coming off the bench in a reserve role. Sophomore forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) tossed in a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while also grabbing five rebounds and blocking five shots. 
Senior forward Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) shot 6-of-8 from the floor and netted 14 points, while also collecting five boards. Classmate Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) chipped in with 11 points.

Franklin Pierce also received valuable offensive contributions off the bench from sophomores Andre Blackwood (Paterson, N.J.) and Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens). Blackwood knocked down a pair of three-pointers and scored a season-high 14 points, while Perdikaris was 5-of-7 from the floor with 10 points.

The Ravens shot a blistering 62 percent (32-of-52) from the field and did a good job of taking care of the basketball by committing just 12 turnovers. Van Oostrum dished out five assists, while sophomore guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) added three.

Brian Hamor paced Stonehill with a game-high 21 points, while Patrick Lee totaled a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Adam Fazzini came off the bench to dump in three three-pointers and scored 14 points and Andre Tongo chipped in with 13 points. Stonehill, too, shot well from the field, converting on 44 percent of its attempts (30-of-68).

After a back-and-forth first half which saw eight ties and 10 lead changes, Franklin Pierce began to flex its muscle in the opening minutes of the second half and used a 12-2 surge to open up a 48-38 lead with 15:21 remaining. Freshman forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) opened the run with a three-pointer and Cooper followed with back-to-back layups. Blackwood drained a trey and Perdikaris capped it with a driving layup.

Stonehill, which it would do all night, chipped away at the deficit and got to within five at 55-50 with 11:44 left. But Franklin Pierce countered with another run and scored 11-consecutive points, highlighted by five points apiece from Cooper and Abu, to open up a commanding 66-50 advantage with 8:14 to go.

The Skyhawks began their rally and scored 13 of the game's next 15 points to pull to within five at 68-63 with 4:47 to go. Hamor started the run with six-straight points, including a trey and a three-point play on a layup and free throw. Lee laid in a pair of baskets and Hamor capped the surge with another three-point play on a layup and free throw.

The Ravens used two points apiece from Vilmont, Abu and Blackwood over the next couple of possessions to go up by nine at 74-65. Hamor, though, wouldn't give up and moments later pulled his team to within five at 76-71 with 1:49 to go following a deep three-pointer.

Cooper responded for the Ravens with a three-point play to make it 79-71, but Stonehill continued to be pesky and eventually got to within 80-76 with :19 left as Hamor converted a three-point play. Vilmont, though, converted two free throws in the final seconds to seal the win for the Ravens and end Stonehill's threat at a comeback.

Vilmont finished with nine points, including going 6-of-6 from the foul line. 

The first half was a wild affair. Abu laid in a basket to give the Ravens an early 11-6 lead, but the Skyhawks countered with eight-consecutive points to take a 14-11 edge with 12:45 left until halftime.

The rest of the stanza saw six ties and five lead changes, including seeing Franklin Pierce score the final five points to take a 36-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. Blackwood drained a three and Perdikaris netted a layup to close out the half in fine fashion for the Ravens.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Saint Michael's at 3:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The game will be part of Rocky the Raven Kids Day, which will feature games, prizes and free giveaways for all area youth in attendance. Children will be admitted to both the men's and women's basketball for free, if accompanied by a paying adult.

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).