Box Score EASTON, Mass. – Freshman guard Andre Gibbs (Smyrna, Del./Smyrna) knocked down four three's on his way to a team-high 14 points as the Philadelphia University men's basketball team was defeated by 13th-ranked Assumption, 62-57, on the second day of the East Region Classic hosted by Stonehill College Sunday afternoon.
Senior guard Jim Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) and freshman forward Peter Alexis (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) were also in double-figures for the Rams (7-5) with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
Freshman forward TJ Huggins (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) and junior guard Nick Christian (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) tied for the team's rebounding lead with six each.
Tim Beinert led the Assumption effort with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The Greyhounds (9-2) are 13th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll.
Ronson Quick contributed 18 points, while Terrance Bobb-Jones netted 10 points.
Philadelphia never trailed during the opening 20 minutes of play. The Rams rattled off nine straight points, capped off with a Gibbs' jumper, to take a half-high nine-point lead (25-16) with 7:51 left in the half. Philadelphia went into the locker room with a 33-27 advantage.
The Rams shot 43.8 percent (14-of-32), including five three-pointers, during the first half and only turned the ball over three times.
Connolly drained two free throws with 17:18 left in the contest to increase the Philadelphia lead to a game-high 11 points (40-29).
Assumption fought its way back into the game by outscoring Philadelphia 18-7 over an 8:10 stretch to tie the game at 47. The Greyhounds took their first lead of the game on a Bobb-Jones put-back at the 8:24 mark.
The Greyhounds pushed the gap up to six (60-54) as Quick converted a three-point play with 23 seconds left on the clock.
Gibbs gave the Rams life as he drilled a trey with 19 seconds to go to close the margin to three (60-57).
Beinert sealed the game as he stepped to the line and hit two free throws with 14 seconds to play.
The Greyhounds ended the contest shooting 44.9 percent (22-of-49) from the field and 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from the line. Philadelphia hit 37.5 percent (21-of-56) of their shots, and drained all six of their free throw attempts.
Assumption owned a 37-29 rebounding advantage.
Philadelphia comes home to take on Post in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 4 p.m.
