PHILADELPHIA – The Holy Family University men's basketball team closed out 2023 with an 87-54 victory over District of Columbia in the Campus Center on Saturday afternoon. 
 
Individual Highlights

• Ethan Pires (Dover, Del./The Pennington School (Millersville University)) and Jason Shields (Scranton, Pa./Scranton (Jefferson University)) tied for a game-high with 14 points apiece, with each making four 3-pointers
• Tairi Ketner (Philadelphia, Pa./Woodstock Academy (University at Albany)) was right behind with 13 points, while leading all players with eight rebounds and two blocks
• Tazir Cantey (Lindenwold, N.J./Eastern Regional) fell one point shy of making it four Tigers in double-figures, while posting a game and career-high eight assists
• Ryan Holmes (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter School (CC of Philadelphia)) also had nine points, while Vernon Johnson (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) set a new season-best with six assists
• Aamir Hurst (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti) matched Cantey with a game-high two steals

 
Inside the Box Score

• HFU held the Firebirds to 29.7 percent shooting (19-of-64), a season-low by a Tigers opponent, including 1-of-13 from beyond the arc

 
How it Happened

• Holy Family tallied the first 11 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers by Pires, and would lead by at least nine throughout 
• The Tigers held UDC scoreless for the opening 3:29 and to just eight points over the first 12:49, establishing a 24-8 advantage
• The first half cushion reached as high as 25, 46-21, on two Izaiah Credle (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna (Chesapeake College)) free throws 1:44 ahead of the break, before the Firebirds closed the first half with a layup for a 46-23 score-line entering the locker room
• District of Columbia got no closer than 21 in the second half 

 
Up Next
Holy Family returns to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play on Wednesday, hosting Wilmington at 8 p.m.