Scotty Tavares-Taylor hits a pair of three's early in second half to spark winning run

MANCHESTER, N.H. (December 4, 2013) -- Junior forward Ryen Vilmont (Philadelphia, Pa.) threw in a game-high tying 22 points, and the Franklin Pierce University men's basketball team drained 10 three-pointers on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc to key an important 77-63 win over Southern New Hampshire on Wednesday night in Manchester.

The Ravens won their fourth straight to improve to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the Northeast-10, while the Penmen dipped to 3-4 and 1-4 in league play.

Vilmont's 22 points came on an impressive 4-of-5 shooting from downtown, while also going a cool 10-for-10 from the free throw line.

Senior forward Ellis Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) was Franklin Pierce's other double-digit scorer with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds (his third-straight double-double output), while two other Ravens came off the bench to catch fire scoring in freshman Ben Mead (Ipswich, Suffolk, England) and senior Scotty Tavares-Taylor (Roxbury, Mass.) with nine and eight points, respectively.

Mead and Tavares-Taylor joined Vilmont in the three-point barrage, as the trio combined for nine of Franklin Pierce's 10 triples on 20 attempts during the evening. Mead was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while Tavares-Taylor drilled a pair of his own.

Their outstanding three-point shooting was evident in a crucial stretch early in the second half which eventually staked the Ravens to a 48-29 lead with 13:22 left. In a little more than a two minute span, Tavares-Taylor sank back-to-back three's, followed by a triple apiece from Vilmont and Mead.

Vilmont bombed in a pair of three's on back-to-back possessions minutes later to extend Franklin Pierce's lead to a comfortable 62-44 margin with 9:22 left.

SNHU tried to muster up a rally by scoring 12 of the next 13 points, highlighted by five five points from Elijah Bonsignore and four from CJ Marriro, but Vilmont stemmed it quickly with a pair of foul shots.

From there, the Ravens put the defensive stops to the Penmen's comeback, and three-straight layups from freshman Donte Gittens (Hartford, Conn.) put Franklin Pierce back up by double-digits where it would stay the rest of the contest. Gittens finished with a solid all-around game of eight points, five assists, four rebounds, and three blocks.

Senior guard Curtis Christian (Harlem, N.Y.) was Franklin Pierce's other three-point shooter on the night, as he had the Ravens' other bomb from deep.

Bonsignore netted 22 points for the Penmen, while Marriro and Rodney Sanders had nine apiece.

The Ravens shot 51 percent (25-of-49) from the field, and a strong 85 percent (17-of-20) from the foul line. Cooper's 13 boards, along with Vilmont's seven, enabled the Ravens to hold a sizeable 39-28 advantage on the glass.

Gittens' dunk midway through the first half put Franklin Pierce up 19-11, but SNHU clawed its way back to within two at 22-20 after a three from Mike Stys with 2:01 left. Mead answered with a pair of triples to help extend the Ravens' lead to 30-22 at the break.

Franklin Pierce returns to action Saturday when the Ravens play host to Saint Anselm at 3:30 p.m. in The Fieldhouse in Rindge.

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/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce men's basketball apparel can do so on the athletic department's online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)