Senior forward Jason Hickenbottom (Philadelphia, Pa./Simon Gratz; pictured right) scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as Philadelphia University earned a 75-65 win over the University of District of Columbia in men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Gallagher Center.  The win, avenging an earlier season loss to the Firebirds, improves the Rams to 7-10 overall while UDC falls to 8-4 overall.

Sophomore forward Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia, Pa./Solebury Prep) finished with 19 points--despite fouling out--and sophomore point guard Russell Frederick (Joppa, Md./Calvert Hall) added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Rams in the win.  In addition, sophomore center Mike Yocum (Dresher, Pa./Episcopal Academy), making his second start for Philadelphia University, turned in a terrific performance playing all 40 minutes of the contest.  The transfer from University of Albany scored 13 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked six UDC shots.  It was the second straight game in which Yocum reset his season-and-career high in rejections.

In the losing effort, the Firebirds were paced by the long-range shooting of senior guard Charlie Smallwood (Palmer Park, Md./Prince George's CC) who contributed 21 points including five three-point field goals, several from the professional distance.

The game opened with both teams evenly matched, as the score was tied 23-23 with 6:18 left in the first half.  But the Rams closed out with an 11-3 burst to give themselves a halftime lead of 34-26. In the second stanza, Philadelphia stretched the lead to double-digits for the first time at the 16:57 mark when a Hickenbottom jumper put the Rams ahead 41-31.  But the Firebirds were certainly not through as the action intensified when Ingram was charged with his fourth personal foul with nearly a full 15 minutes to play.  That forced the Rams' second leading scorer and top rebounder to the bench for ten minutes of play, and UDC capitalized.

A Smallwood three-point field goal with 11:45 remaining trimmed the Philadelphia advantage to two points.  The two squads would trade baskets as the second half continued, until Ingram returned with 5:03 left in the game and the Rams clinging to a five-point lead, 64-59.  Ingram scored the next six points for Philadelphia University before exiting the contest which--combined with clutch free-throw shooting from Hickenbottom and Frederick down the stretch--provided the Rams the cushion they needed to close out the home victory in their penultimate non-conference matchup of the season.

A look ahead at next week's slate for Head Coach Herb Magee's squad reveals two key Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) encounters as the Rams put their 4-0 league mark to the test once again.  First is a home date with Chestnut Hill College on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. in The Gallagher Center, followed by an away game at Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y. next Saturday, January 19 at 3:00 p.m.