PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – It was just what the doctor ordered for Post University Men's Basketball coming back from the winter break as the Eagles returned to the court on Saturday afternoon for a road conference matchup against Holy Family University which also saw the return of graduate forward Derrick Thomas II for the first time in a month due to injury.

Finishing with 16 points on 50% shooting (6-for-12), Thomas II alongside graduate forward Harrison Warnock who recorded his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, helped pace the Eagles to their second conference win of the season, 73-58, over the Tigers. 

THE BASICS

Post University 73, Holy Family University 58

Post University (8-6, 2-1 CACC)

Holy Family University (6-8, 0-2 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It would be a game where the Eagles nearly led wire-to-wire, only relinquishing the lead twice, both times in the first half with the first time coming within the first four minutes of action. Senior forward Tairi Ketner scored the first eight points of the game for the Tigers who jumped out to an 8-4 lead behind his run.

That would be met by a 6-0 from the Eagles who answered back with the help of Thomas II, Warnock, and sophomore guard Ta'Quan Williams. As for Ketner, he would be held to just nine more points the rest of the game, finishing with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting in 21 minutes while making all three of his free throw attempts. 

The first-half lead for Post would stretch to as many as nine points, 19-10, following a 9-0 run with the game tied at 10 all which featured five more points from Warnock. That run would be met by a run for Holy Family in which they rattled off a 10-0 stretch to regain a one-point lead, 20-19, which would ultimately be their last lead of the game. That run was highlighted by a pair of threes for the Tigers which were two of only three they made in a game where they finished 3-for-22 from long range for a 13.6% finish. 

Right back at it would be the Eagles who took a six-point lead heading into the halftime break, 30-24, after a 41.9% shooting half which saw them go 13-for-31 from the floor while missing all five of their three-point attempts, and making only 4-of-9 free throws. As for the Tigers, they headed into the locker room having gone only 7-for-25 (28%) from the field with those two threes during their 10-0 run. 

While the lead would shrink to as few as three points in the second half, it would swell to as many as 19 points with 3:16 left in regulation following the sixth straight free throw made by senior guard Bol Akot as part of his big day from the charity stripe. In the eventual 73-58 win, Akot led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-13 shooting while making 10-of-12 free throws to record his fifth 20-plus point game of the year and third in the last four games.

The trio of Akot, Warnock, and Thomas II accounted for 55 of the 73 points that Post had in the victory, marking the only three players from the Eagles to reach double figures. In addition to Ketner's 17 points for the Tigers, junior guard Najee Coursey finished the game with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting while hitting a trio of free throws in four attempts, and freshman guard CJ Mundell finished with a team-high nine rebounds. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• Bol Akot led all scorers with 20 points on 5-of-13 shooting while making 10-of-12 free throws in the win -- This is Akot's fifth 20-plus point game this season and third in the last four games 
• Harrison Warnock recorded his third double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points on 6-for-13 shooting while grabbing 12 rebounds in the win 
• This season, Post University moves to 6-0 when leading at halftime and remains 1-6 when trailing at halftime 
• Post University has now won eight straight games against Holy Family dating back to the 2016-17 season which is their longest win streak in the all-time series 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University plays their final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday night at Southern Connecticut State University with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM. The Eagles are 3-3 all-time against the Owls and this will mark the first time in program history in which they are not playing at a neutral site venue as five of the first six matchups were in Bridgeport, Connecticut with the other being in Orangeburg, New York.