Ryen Vilmont tosses in 15 points to help guide the Ravens to victory

RINDGE, N.H. (December 4, 2011) -- The Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team turned in an outstanding defensive effort on Sunday night against Saint Anselm, as it was the main factor in the Ravens picking up a crucial 77-52 win over the Hawks at The Fieldhouse in Rindge. The Ravens won their sixth straight to improve to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Northeast-10, which is good for a tie for first place in the conference. St. A's dipped to 2-6 and 0-5 in league play.

The winning streak is Franklin Pierce's longest since the 2005-06 season when the Ravens won seven straight late in the campaign. The eight wins in the first nine games is also the program's best start since the 1992-93 season when Franklin Pierce began 9-1.

Franklin Pierce's defensive intensity on Sunday was suffocating as the Ravens held the Hawks to just 31 percent shooting (17-of-54) from the floor. It marked the third time in the last four games Franklin Pierce held the opposition to under 20 field goals made. 

Franklin Pierce also held a 40-29 advantage on the boards as 10 of the 11 Ravens that played grabbed at least one rebound, including five with at least four boards. The Ravens forced the Hawks into 18 turnovers, while also swiping eight steals. 

The momentum generated on the defensive end carried over to the offensive flow of the Ravens as they shot 56 percent (32-of-57) from the floor, including scoring 21 points off Saint Anselm turnovers.

Nine Ravens scored in the game, including senior forward Adedamola Abu (Mattapan, Mass.), who pumped in a career-high 19 points of 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a shot to turn in an all-around solid game. Abu has been a strong offensive option for the Ravens lately as he has scored in double-figures three-straight times.

Freshman forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 14 points with five rebounds, while senior guard Nigel Van Oostrum (Sheffield, England) scored six points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. Junior backcourt-mate Eric Jean-Guillaume (Stamford, Conn.) also turned in a well-rounded game with seven points, six assists and six thefts.

Franklin Pierce stormed out of the gates by scoring eight of the first 10 points, sparked by a pair of layups from Abu. 

St. A's tried to remain close and did trail by just five at 22-17 with 9:25 left in the half, but the Ravens countered with a sizzling 13-1 run over the next six minutes to open up a commanding 35-18 advantage. Abu put in back-to-back baskets to kick-start the surge, while Vilmont bombed in a three to aid it. Van Oostrum capped it with a driving layup and the Ravens used that momentum to eventually build a 39-23 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Hawks couldn't muster much of a comeback in the early stages of the second half and were only able to cut their deficit to 13 at 43-30 with 16:48 left in the game following a layup from Jack Keough. 

Franklin Pierce countered with the game's next 11 points to take a 54-30 lead with 13:40 to go. Sophomore guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) came off the bench to score five points during the run, while classmate Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) capped it with four-straight points.

The Ravens led by as many as 32 late in the game as they sealed the win with a 25-point margin.

Hakeem Williams netted a team-high 15 points for the Hawks, while Keough chipped in with 14 and 10 rebounds.

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

For more information on Franklin Pierce men's basketball, please visit the team's page atathletics.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).