Junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume totals 12 points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds in the win

MANCHESTER, N.H. (November 11, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team opened up its 2011-12 season on Friday night with a satisfying 74-53 win over Molloy at the SNHU Fieldhouse in Manchester, N.H. The Ravens improved to 1-0, while the Lions fell to 0-1.

All 11 Ravens that played in the game scored, including a team-high 12 points from junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.). Senior backcourt mate Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) chipped in 11 points, while senior center Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.) and sophomore guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) added nine points apiece. 

Jean-Guillaume had an all-around terrific game for the Ravens. In addition to his point total, he also handed out five assists, while swiping five steals and pulling down four rebounds. Abu narrowly missed a double-double by also ripping down seven boards to go along with his nine points.

Molloy had a pair of players score in double-figures, including 20 points from Jimmy Nolan and 10 from John Petrucelli. 

The first half was tightly contested as it featured four ties and five lead changes. Molloy used an 8-0 run late in the stanza to turn a 20-18 deficit into a 26-20 lead. Chris Lyons and Neal Fishenden knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to spark the rally as the Lions took a 34-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Molloy continued to hold onto a slim two-point lead (39-37) early in the second half, but the Ravens countered with a 14-0 run over a four-minute span to claim a 51-39 advantage with 12:00 left in the game. Jean-Guillaume knocked down a triple to spark the rally, while sophomore center Adrianos Vourliotakis-Perdikaris (Cholargos, Athens) added six points to aid the surge. Classmate Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) laid in two-straight baskets also during the run.

Molloy tried to rally, but the Lions could not get closer than eight points over the next several minutes. Van Oostrum drained a trey with 8:18 remaining to put Franklin Pierce on top, 56-45, and the Ravens would not let their lead slip below double-digits the rest of the way. Franklin Pierce led by as many as 23 points late in the game.

Three Ravens were making their debuts in a Franklin Pierce uniform during the game, including freshman Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.), who totaled five points and three rebounds in his first collegiate game. Classmate Khalid Ibrahim (Springfield, Mass.) tossed in two points, while Igor Lebov (Toronto, Canada) had six points on 2-of-2 shooting from the floor.

Franklin Pierce outrebounded Molloy, 27-26, and shot 43 percent (28-of-65) from the floor. The Ravens return to action Saturday when they take on Mercy at 5:30 p.m. on the SNHU campus.

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).