PHILADELPHIA – Trailing throughout the entirety of the first half and by as many as 10 early in the second, the Holy Family University men's basketball team outscored Franklin Pierce 41-20 over the final 17:17 to defeat the Ravens, 76-65, in its season-opener for the third year in a row.
Individual Highlights
- Tazir Cantey (Lindenwold, N.J./Eastern Regional) led all players with his second career 20-point performance, including making 7-of-8 free throws, and a career-best two blocks
- Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) scored 14 on 5-of-8 shooting, while Jason Shields (Scranton, Pa./Scranton (Jefferson University)) added 12 points in his HFU debut
- David Robinson Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and Tairi Ketner (Philadelphia, Pa./Woodstock Academy (University at Albany)) neared one with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and eight boards in 18 minutes in his team debut
- Also making their team debuts were Ethan Pires (Dover, Del./The Pennington School (Millersville University)), who contributed eight points, and Ryan Holmes (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter School (CC of Philadelphia)), who matched Ketner with a team-best two steals
- Tristin Harcourt (Newark, N.J./University) notably made his collegiate debut, while Izaiah Credle (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna (Chesapeake College)) was the fifth Tigers to make his HFU debut on the day
Inside the Box Score
- Holy Family shot 50.0 percent on the afternoon, 29-of-58, while limiting FPU to 35.2 percent, 25-of-71
- The Tigers held a 10-2 edge in fastbreak points
How it Happened
First Half
- Franklin Pierced scored the first six points over the opening two minutes and led throughout the first half
- The Ravens were up 10-2 3:47 in, but Pires cut the deficit to two, 12-10, with a 3-pointer at the 13:21 mark
- It remained a two-possession game until five consecutive FPU points pushed the advantage to nine, 30-21, with 6:02 on the clock
- It then reached a first half high 10, 36-26, 3:51 ahead of the break
- A Robinson Jr. layup got HFU as close five, 38-33, in the final minute, but the Ravens tallied the final four points for a 42-33 halftime lead
Second Half
- And and-one matched Franklin Pierce's largest advantage, 45-35, with 17:33 to play
- Shields immediately responded with a 3-pointer 17 seconds after, beginning a run of seven unanswered that ended with back-to-back jumpers by Cantey
- Trailing 46-50, Hurst made back-to-back triples, the second one with 11:47 showing, that put HFU on top for good
- The Ravens pulled within two, 52-54, with 10:57 left, but six straight points capped a 14-2 stretch for a 60-52 score-line when Robinson netted a jumper 2:34 later
- The two teams exchanged the next eight baskets until Shields converted a trifecta for the Tigers' first double-digit lead, 72-60, with just 4:01 remaining
Up Next
Holy Family completes its season-opening weekend tomorrow, hosting AIC at 2 p.m.
