RINDGE, N.H. – Malik Archer's (Philadelphia, Pa./Mathematics,Civics & Science Charter School (Beaver County CC)) 25-point debut helped lift the HFU men's basketball team to a 69-63 triumph over regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce, a 2022 NCAA Tournament participant, in the Tigers' season-opener on Saturday.
 
Holy Family trailed by double-digits late in the first half, before closing the period strong and leading throughout almost the entirety of the second. 
 
Individual Highlights

• Making his HFU debut, Archer's 25 points were nine more than any other player and featured making 6-of-11 3-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws 
• He led four Tigers in double-figures, with Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) adding 12 off the bench in his collegiate debut and David Robinson Jr. chipping in with 11 
• Eric Esposito (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell Egan) tallied 10 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and a team-best three assists
• Jake McGonigle (Ocean City, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) also had three dimes, while matching Hurst with a team-high two swipes
• Rick'Keem Mixson (Linden, N.J./St. Mary of the Assumption (Raritan Valley CC)) was second on HFU with seven boards
• Tazir Cantey (Lindenwold, N.J./Eastern Regional) scored four points in his collegiate debut, while Jeremiah Alexander (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem (Bloomfield College)) made his Tigers debut
• Vernon Johnson (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) fell one rebound shy of a career-best with four

 
Inside the Box Score

• Holy Family doubled up Franklin Pierce in points in the paint, 32-16, and free throws 10-4
• The Tigers limited the Ravens to just 33.8 percent shooting (23-of-68)

 
How it Happened 
First Half

• Holy Family scored the first five points, holding FPU scoreless for the first 3:45
• The Ravens would hit back-to-back 3-pointers though, taking a lead that would last the remainder of the first half
• Franklin Pierce took the contest's largest advantage, 27-17, on a dunk with 6:41 showing
• Neither team scored for 2:45, before Archer hit back-to-back triples to begin a half-ending 11-3 surge
• After a Ravens 3-pointer, HFU scored the final five points of the half capped by Hurst's layup making the score 30-28 at the break

Second Half

• Archer then hit a trifecta 29 seconds out of the locker room to give the Tigers a lead that ballooned to as large as large as 46-38, on a Hurst layup with 11:21 remaining
• The lead was still seven, 50-43, when Mixon made a jumper just under two minutes later, before FPU hit back-to-back triples, the second at the 8:51 mark
• Holy Family called a timeout and regrouped with a Archer 3-pointer, but the Ravens then scored five straight to go ahead 53-54 with 7:41 left
• That would Franklin Pierce's last lead though as both teams were held scoreless for nearly three minutes
• Archer's free throw with 4:55 showing tied the score, before his trifecta 41 seconds later put the Tigers on top for good
• The Ravens got as close as one, 56-57, 1:53 later, but HFU responded with an 8-0 flurry, capped by an Esposito layup with 1:23 left, for their largest advantage
• FPU was able to make it a one-possession game with a back-to-back 3-pointers before a free throw with 17 seconds left made the score 65-63, but Hurst was able to the ice the game with two foul shots  

 
Up Next
Holy Family remains at Franklin Peirce for a neutral matchup with AIC tomorrow at 2 p.m.