Philadelphia, Pa. (December 21) -- Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Assumption College men's basketball team rallied to tie the game late before dropping a hard-fought 68-65 final at Philadelphia University in the East Region Classic. The game is the final non-conference game of the regular season for the Hounds.

The Hounds jumped out to an early 7-3 lead over the first 4:11 of play, capped by a layup from senior Jimmy Zenevitch (Methuen, Mass./Malden Catholic). Philadelphia put together a 10-2 run though over the next 2:47, sparked by a three-pointer from Nick Schlitzer, as the Rams built a 13-9 lead. The hosts led by as many as nine at 23-14 at the eight-minute mark following a pair of Derek Johnson free throws, countered by a 6-0 run for Assumption to close back to within three.

After Philly stretched the lead back out to six, sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy) converted a contested layup and was fouled. Bey completed the three-point play for the 26-23 margin, on his way to a team-high seven points in the period. A three by Philly's Andre Gibbs made it a 33-27 advantage with under a minute remaining, followed by a free throw from Assumption's Terrance Bobb-Jones (Wilmington, Del./Delcastle-Voc Tech) to account for the 33-28 halftime margin.

Both teams shot 44.4 percent from the field in the half, while the Rams held a slight 17-15 rebounding edge. Peter Alexis was the leading scorer for the Rams in the half with a game-high 13 points.

The Hounds closed to within four on a Bobb-Jones putback early in the second before an 8-2 run for the Rams pushed the lead into double figures for the first time at 44-34. Trailing by a 13-point margin at the 14-minute mark, a quick 6-0 spurt closed the gap to 49-42 and forced a Rams timeout.

With the game sitting at 58-50 with 7:28 remaining after a three-point play from Schlitzer, the Hounds put together a 9-2 run that was capped by a three-point play from Bey to close to within one at 60-59. Bey eventually brought the Hounds all the way back and tied the game at 61-61 on a driving layup, sending him to the line with a chance to take the lead. The Rams briefly regained the lead before Bobb-Jones tied the game for the final time at 63-63 with a driving layup down the lane with 1:14 left in regulation.

The game headed into the final minute tied before Johnson knocked down a three from the right wing to put the Rams in front for good at 66-65. The Hounds closed to within one briefly at 66-65 on a layup from junior Tim Kasper (Cologne, Germany/Gymnasium Schloss Hagerhof) with 25.8 seconds left before two free throws by Gibbs accounted for the 68-65 final.

Assumption had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, calling timeout with 8.1 seconds left to set up the final play. A three-pointer from the corner was just off though as the Hounds finished 1-1 at the East Region Classic.

Bey led the team with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Bobb-Jones and Ziegler each finished with 15. Bobb-Jones was also tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight to go along with a team-best six assists and two blocks.

Alexis led the Rams with 20 points and four players finished in double figures. TJ Huggins nearly finished with a double-double for Philadelphia, adding nine points and a team-best 10 rebounds.

Assumption finished the game shooting 53.7 percent from the field, including 62.1 percent in the second half.

With the loss, Assumption sits at 5-6 overall, while Philadelphia has now won four straight to improve to 7-4 on the season.

Assumption is back in action on January 3rd as the Hounds resume Northeast-10 Conference play with a road contest at Franklin Pierce beginning at 3:30 p.m.

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.