MANCHESTER, N.H. – Four players reached double figures as Franklin Pierce University topped Southern New Hampshire University 61-57 in Northeast-10 men's basketball Wednesday night at the SNHU Fieldhouse.  The Ravens improve to 17-5 and 14-4 in the NE-10 with the win, while the Penmen are now 13-9 and 9-9 in the league.

Ellis Cooper was 6-10 from the floor and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Ryen Vilmont recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Andre Blackwood notched 12 points on 5-7 shooting, while Eric Jean-Guillaume added 10 points.

Aleksandar Dobrovic (Podgorica, Montenegro) recorded a double-double for Southern New Hampshire, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Mike Stys (Hooksett, N.H.) notched 12 points, while Rodney Sanders (Linden, N.J.) added 11 points.

Franklin Pierce trailed 44-33 with 14:23 remaining before it reeled off 14 unanswered points, with a Georgios Papapetrou three giving the Ravens a 48-44 lead.  The Penmen scored the next five points to take a 49-48 lead on a layup by Elijah Bonsignore (Felton, Del.) with 7:42 left.  The two teams traded the lead three times in the next two minutes before a Blackwood three with 5:39 to play gave FPU a 53-52 advantage.

The Ravens took a 59-55 lead with 1:54 left on a pair of Jean-Guillaume free throws.  SNHU had two empty offensive possessions, but Franklin Pierce missed three free throws, including a pair with 18 seconds left.  Dobrovic pulled the Penmen within two with 12 seconds to go on a tip-in, but Vilmont sank a pair with 11 seconds to go to seal the win.

Southern New Hampshire held a 29-23 lead at halftime and outscored the Ravens 15-10 over the first 5:37 of the second half to open a 44-33 lead with 14:23 left on a CJ Marriro (Boston, Mass.) layup.  The first half saw four ties and four lead changes, but the Penmen opened up a pair of seven-point leads, the last on a pair of Sanders free throws 4:57 before intermission.

Franklin Pierce shot 50% in the second half and 46.9% for the game while limiting the Penmen to 37.7% shooting for the contest.  The Ravens took seven more trips to the free-throw line, going 10-16 while SNHU was 5-9, and outrebounded the hosts 36-31. 

Southern New Hampshire returns to action Saturday afternoon when it travels to Bentley University for a 3:30 contest.  The next Penmen home game is slated for Saturday, February 23, when SNHU hosts Merrimack College in a 3:30 game at the SNHU Fieldhouse.