Tigers Come Up Short at USciences, 57-52

BOX SCORE


Philadelphia, Pa. - The Holy Family University men's basketball team dropped a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest at the University of the Sciences by the score of 57-52 Wednesday night at Morgan Arena. 
 
Holy Family is now 5-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while USciences improves to 4-8 overall and 3-3 in CACC action.
 
Holy Family had a trio of players score in double-figures with ten points apiece.  Senior Alberto Munoz (Morrisville, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons) tallied ten points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks, while junior Ervin Ezell (Deptford, N.J./Deptford High) filled the stat sheet with ten points, three assists, three steals, three blocks and two rebounds. 
 
Senior Angel Ayala (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) came off the bench and contributed ten points to go along with eight rebounds, while sophomore Eric Fleming (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) added eight points.   Freshman Tuhran Griffin (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin Learning Center) finished the night with seven points after knocking down a pair of three-pointers (2-3). 
 
For USciences, sophomore Garret Kerr recorded his eighth double-double of the season as he finished with a game-high 18 points and 16 rebounds.  Kerr also converted 8-of-9 from the free throw line.  Freshman Shofolarin DaSilva also scored in double-figures as he finished with 14 points off the bench.  DaSilva also recorded five steals and three blocks on the defensive end.
 
USciences held the game's biggest lead as the Devils opened the game on a 6-0 run.   After a back-and-forth first half though, the Devils reestablished their six-point lead to close out the half with a 36-30 halftime advantage.
 
In the second half, USciences maintained its lead the majority of the second half despite Holy Family cutting the lead to one point (41-40) after Ayala converted a pair of free throws at the 13:16 mark.
 
Later in the half, Holy Family gained the lead for the first time in the second half after back-to-back scores by freshman Isaiah Gans (Philadelphia, Pa./Redemption Christian Academy).  After his layup made the score 45-44, Gans, on the team's next possession, made a jumper to give the Tigers a 46-45 lead with 7:10 to play.
 
Minutes later, the Devils would regain the lead for good after Kerr converted a pair of free throws to make the score 49-48 with 5:35 on the clock.
 
Both teams would hit a cold streak with neither squad scoring a single point for the next three-plus minutes.  Junior Patrick Connaghan ended the drought with a layup to extend the Devils' lead to 51-48 with 2:11 to play in regulation.
 
USciences would go on to convert 6-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the victory.  The Devils finished the game converting 19-of-21 from the charity stripe, while the Tigers finished 11-of-17 from the line.
 
Both teams shot under 40-percent from the field for the game as the Tigers edged out the Devils shooting 37.0-percent.  USciences shot 32.7-percent from the field.
 
Holy Family will have a ten-day layoff before heading to North Easton, Mass. to compete in the East Coast Classic hosted by Stonehill College.  The Tigers will face Assumption College on Saturday, Dec. 29 and then close out the classic with a match up with Stonehill on Sunday, Dec. 30. 
 
  - HFU -