Cooper leads way with 19

COLCHESTER, Vt. (November 19, 2010) – Sophomore forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) led the way with 19 points on Saturday night, while junior guard Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) added 18 and freshman forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in 14 to lead the Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team to an 82-79 victory over Concordia (N.Y.) in non-conference play in the DoubleTree Doc Jacobs Classic, hosted by Saint Michael's College at Ross Sports Center. Franklin Pierce outscored Concordia, 50-29, in the first half, only to have to hold on for the three-point victory after the Clippers mounted a second-half comeback.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-1 (0-0 Northeast-10), while Concordia falls to 3-2 (0-0 Central Atlantic).

Franklin Pierce steamed out of the gates with a 17-4 run over the opening 6:14, and extended the lead to 27-9 by the midpoint of the first half, to seemingly take control of the game. Jean-Guillaume and Cooper each contributed six points to the opening 17-4 streak, with the former putting home a pair of three-pointers, while the latter dropped in a pair of layups and a jumper.

Trailing by 21 points at 60-39 with 14:40 to play in regulation, Concordia staged a furious rally to make the game interesting in the end. Freshman forward Tshyrad Oates came up with 11 points over the final 14:40, while junior guard Lavor Morris put home nine more. Morris buried a pair of three-pointers, one on either side of a pair of free throws converted by Jean-Guillaume, to cap the surge and pull the Clippers within three at 80-77. However, by that point, only 11 seconds remained, and after a Franklin Pierce timeout, Vilmont put home two free throws to put the game on ice. As a team, the Ravens hit six of their final eight free throws over the final 1:25 to finish off the game.

Cooper's 7-for-12 shooting effort and 19 points led the Ravens on the evening, while Jean-Guillaume hit 4-of-7 from behind-the-arc on his way to his 18 points. Cooper finished just short of a double-double, as he collected seven rebounds to lead the team, while also recording four steals defensively. Senior guard Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) led all players with nine assists.

For Concordia, Morris led all players with 20 points off the bench, as he went 4-for-8 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Norman Pope added 19 points on 7-for-15 from the floor, while Oates scored 11 to round out three Clippers in double digits. Oates and junior forward Argelix Gil hauled in five rebounds each, and Pope dished out four assists.

The Ravens return to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 22, when they hold their home opener against Stonehill in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Fieldhouse in Rindge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).