BRONX – The Holy Family University men's basketball team outscored Elizabeth City State University 47-36 in the second half to defeat the Vikings 75-66 in the Harlem Renaissance Classic hosted at Gauchos Gym on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Individual Highlights

• Ethan Pires (Dover, Del./The Pennington School (Millersville University)) led four Tigers in double-figures with a career-high 21 points that featured making 5-of-9 3-pointers
• David Robinson Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy) tied season-bests with 15 points and a game-high 10 boards for his second double-double of the season
• Tazir Cantey (Lindenwold, N.J./Eastern Regional) and Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) poured in 16 and 15, respectively, with the duo combining to make 19-of-25 free throws
• Cantey paced Holy Family with four assists, while Pires, Robinson Jr. and Hurst all had a team-high two steals

 
Inside the Box Score

• The Tigers made nine more free throws than ECSU, 29-20, for their most made foul shots since Jan. 5, 2019

 
How it Happened
First Half

• Cantey's layup 5:04 in completed eight unanswered, which started with three Hurst free throws, making the score 10-4 for the first of six six-point margins
• Holy Family then went ahead seven, 23-16, on a Robinson Jr. three-point play with 8:54 remaining in the half
• The Tigers made just two foul shots over the next 5:55 though, and ECSU scored 11 points for its first lead since the 16:22 mark, 25-27, entering the final three minutes
• The two teams each made three free throws over the final 2:59 for a 28-30 score-line at the half

Second Half

• The two teams exchanged points until Hurst scored the first of seven straight HFU points that put the Tigers on top for good, ending with two Tairi Ketner (Philadelphia, Pa./Woodstock Academy (University at Albany)) foul shots for a 39-34 cushion with 15:17 to go
• A Robinson Jr. layup completed a 12-2 surge for a 44-36 edge two minutes later
• ECSU fought back to within two twice, including at 49-47 at the 9:19 mark, but HFU responded with a 12-2 surge that featured two Pires 3-pointers for the first double-digit  advantage, 59-49, on Catney's layup with 6:54 left
• The Vikings made it a two-possession deficit once, 66-61, on a dunk with 2:55 to play, but the Tigers made seven free throws over the final 2:39

 
Up Next
Holy Family begins Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play on Wednesday when it travels to Goldey-Beacom for an 8 p.m. tip.