Philadelphia, Pa. (December 20) -- On day one of the East Region Classic, the Assumption College men's basketball team picked up a thrilling 64-62 victory over Holy Family University at the Gallagher Center to improve to 5-5 overall on the season. The game came down to the final seconds before the Hounds pulled out the two-point victory.

The teams opened play even thru the opening 8:18 after a layup down the lane by junior Karl Ziegler (Annandale, Va./Annandale) tied the game at 9-9. A three-point play by junior Terrance Bobb-Jones (Wilmington, Del./Delcastle-Voc Tech) with 11:10 left in the half made it 12-9 as he scored on an up-and-under move for the layup. The Hounds continued to lead by three just past the midway point of the period as sophomore Marcus Murray (Washington, D.C./John F. Kennedy) found Tre Owens (Rota, Spain/Rota) for a dunk off the press break.

Holy Family sparked a 7-0 run and jumped to its biggest lead of the half at 18-14 with 7:49 remaining after a layup by Derrick Stewart. Assumption tied the game again though, including at 20-20 on a jumper by senior Jimmy Zenevitch (Methuen, Mass./Malden Catholic) with 6:32 on the clock. The Hounds led for the remainder of the period, including by four on another three-point play from Bobb-Jones with 3:35 left.  The Tigers cut the lead to just one at 28-27 on a basket with 45 seconds left in the period and the score headed into the break with the one-point margin.

Bobb-Jones led the Hounds with 11 points in the half, while Marvin Crawford was the leading scorer for Holy Family with seven. The teams were a combined 3-for-27 from three-point land in the opening period, but turned the ball over just five times apiece.

Assumption started the half on an 8-2 run over the first 3:08 of the second, capped by a putback layup by sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) for the 35-30 advantage. The Tigers answered though with an 8-0 run of their own, capped by a pair of free throws by Stewart, as Holy Family led 38-35 with 12:28 on the clock. Assumption tied the game up at 38-38 on a Ziegler jumper and regained the lead at 44-42 on a three from the corner by sophomore Jack Sullivan (Stony Point, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) at the 9:27 mark.

With the game tied at 48 after two Holy Family free throws, the Hounds embarked on a quick 7-0 spurt to seize a 55-48 lead with 5:25 left. Sullivan pulled down a big rebound with 5:25 left on a missed three by the Tigers, leading to a layup by Bey on the other end to force a Holy Family timeout. The Tigers quickly answered though to cut the lead to just two at at 56-54 with 3:30 left and eventually went back in front 60-59 on a three-point play by Reggie Charles at the 1:20 mark.

The teams traded the lead back and forth in the final minute before the Hounds went in front for good after two free throws by Bey with 14.3 seconds on the clock. Bey was fouled driving the lane and knocked down two for the 63-62 edge.

On the ensuing Tiger possession, Charles threw up a wild spinning layup that hit the bottom of the rim and Bey pulled down the rebound. Fouled with 3.2 seconds left, Bey hit the second free throw to account for the 64-62 final. A Holy Family three was wide at the buzzer as the Hounds won for the third time in their last four games.

Bey paced the Hounds with 15 points and seven rebounds, along with 13 points each from Ziegler and Bobb-Jones. The Hounds owned a commanding 41-30 advantage on the boards, including 15-7 on the offensive glass.

Stewart led three Tigers in double figures with 19 points to go along with 18 from Charles and 11 by Crawford.

With the win, Assumption evens its record at 5-5 overall, while Holy Family falls to 8-3 in the loss.

Assumption wraps up the East Region Classic on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. as the Hounds take on Philadelphia University at the Gallagher Athletic Center.

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.