PHILADELPHIA – The HFU men's basketball team trimmed an 18-point deficit to four in the latter stage of the second half, but the Tigers could never manage to make it a one-possession game in a 56-64 setback to the Owls on Saturday afternoon at the Campus Center. 
 
Individual Highlights

• David Robinson Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) posted his seventh double-double of the season, leading Holy Family with 13 rebounds and 12 points
• Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) scored 11, while Rick'Keem Mixson (Linden, N.J./St. Mary of the Assumption (Raritan Valley CC)) added 10 on 3-of-4 shooting
• Tazir Cantey (Lindenwold, N.J./Eastern Regional) chipped in with eight points off the bench, and Jake McGonigle (Ocean City, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) scored a season-best seven
  • Cantey paced the Tigers with a game-high three steals, while McGonigle dished out a team-high four assists

 
Inside the Box Score

• Holy Family made 10 more free throws than SCSU, 18-9, but the Owls held a 40-26 edge in points in the paint

 
How it Happened 
First Half

• The two teams exchanged five lead changes in the opening minutes, with seven straight points giving SCSU the first two-possession advantage, 7-13, midway through the half
• A 3-pointer then completed a 12-2 run for a 9-18 score-line with 8:31 showing
• Two McGonigle free throws finished a 7-2 stretch that got HFU as close as 16-20 4:31 ahead of the break
• A Jeremiah Alexander (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem (Bloomfield College)) layup also made it a four-point game, 18-24, with 1:58 showing, but the Owls would score the final six points to bring a 12-point lead into the locker room

Second Half

• Southern Connecticut State then scored the first six points of the second half to build a game-high 18-point advantage, 36-18, with 18:57 to play 
• Six straight points, capped by two Vernon Johnson (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) foul shots, made it a single-digit contest, 34-42, with an even 13 minutes remaining, and McGonigle's 3-pointer 31 seconds later made it a two-possession score-line
• Robinson Jr's layup then completed a 14-3 surge that got Holy Family as close as four, 41-45, with 8:54 to go
• Mixon's basket also made it a four-point game, 45-49, with 6:46 on the clock, but back-to-back Owls trifectas built a two-possession lead for good

 
Up Next
Holy Family plays one final game before the holiday break on Monday at District of Columbia. Tip is set for 1 p.m.