Worcester, Mass. (December 7) -- Led by four players in double figures, the Assumption College men's basketball team picked up its second straight win with a 79-73 home victory over NYIT in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon at Laska Gym.

Assumption came out firing for the second straight game, building a quick 9-0 lead with a run that was capped by a three-pointer from junior Tre Owens (Rota, Spain/Rota) less than two minutes into the first half. After an NYIT timeout, the Hounds continued to lead at 12-8 before stretching the lead out to 13 with an 11-2 run that included a three by junior Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia/Hallam Senior College).

The Hounds led by as many as 16 points with 6:07 remaining in the period after a triple from sophomore Marcus Murray (Washington, D.C./John F. Kennedy) before a four-minute scoring drought cut the lead all the way down to three at 29-26. Two Soukup free throws stopped the 13-0 Bears scoring run, but the Bears made it a one-point game at 32-31 on a late three by transfer Darian Hooker. Assumption took an eventual 34-31 edge into the halftime break as senior Jimmy Zenevitch (Methuen, Mass./Central Catholic) scored with less than two seconds left off a pass from Soukup.

Assumption shot 44-4 percent from the field in the half and forced 10 NYIT turnovers. The Bears shot 52 percent from the field in the period, while the Hounds converted six three-pointers.

The teams started out evenly in the opening minutes of the second, with NYIT continuing to chip away at the Assumption lead. Hooker, who finished with a game-high 32 points, tied the game for the first time at 48-48 on a fastbreak layup with 11:28 remaining in the half. Two free throws by Jahleel Felix gave the Bears their first lead of the game at 50-48 as the teams traded the advantage back and forth over the next three minutes.

With the game tied at 60-60 with 7:29 on the clock after a Hooker layup, the Hounds went back in front for good on a Murray jumper with 6:47 left. Assumption led by at least three over the final 4:27 and by as many as eight at 79-71 before coming away with the six-point victory. Six free throws, including the final two by junior Julian Aiken (Randolph, N.J./Randolph), helped the Hounds clinch their second straight win.

Murray led four Assumption players in double figures with 14 points and a team-high four assists, while Zenevitch added 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field. Junior Terrance Bobb-Jones (Wilmington, Del./Delcastle-Voc Tech) posted 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while junior Karl Ziegler (Annandale, Va./Annandale) finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Hooker led the Bears with 32 points to go along with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting by Khalif Chaplin. As a team, NYIT shot 50.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three. Assumption held a commanding 36-26 rebounding advantage for the game, including a 26-20 edge on the defensive glass.

With the win, Assumption evens its record at 4-4 overall, while NYIT drops to 2-5 on the season.

Assumption is back in action on Wednesday, December 10th as the Hounds travel to Southern New Hampshire for a 7:30 p.m. start in Manchester, N.H.

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.