LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (November 25, 2008) – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team made a season-high 14 3-pointers to defeat Holy Family University, 81-64, for its first victory of the season Tuesday evening at Manuel Rivero Hall. (BOXSCORE)
Junior guard Damian Hyman (Bronx, NY/Harry S. Truman) scored a Lincoln career-high 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Hyman finished with a career-high seven 3-pointers to help Lincoln avenge last year's defeat to Holy Family. It's the third time this season, Lincoln has finished with 10 or more made 3-pointers in a single game.
Freshman guard Darren Clark (Largo, MD/Largo) finished with 16 points and seven assists. Junior forward Bryant Leach (Philadelphia, PA/Bartram) recorded his fifth career double-double and second this season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Leach also had a team-high four steals. Freshman Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, MD/Western) came off the bench to deliver 11 points as Lincoln outscored HFU, 45-27, in the second half.
Sophomore Eugene Smith (Lansdowne, PA/Penn Wood) (West Palm Beach, FL/Penn Wood) and junior Frank Lee (New Orleans, LA/Belle Chasse) (New Orleans, LA/Belle Chasse) supplied spark along with some big plays off the bench. They combined for eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
“This is a big win for us especially heading into the (Thanksgiving) break,” Hyman said. “We knew we weren't an 0-5 team coming into the game. Tonight, the rim resembled an ocean for me especially after I made my first two 3-pointers.”
Trailing, 44-42 with 17 minutes, 16 seconds remaining, Lincoln detonated from behind the 3-point line. The Lions made three consecutive 3-pointers on three straight possessions to complete a quick 9-0 run in 70 seconds. Leach drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Lincoln the lead for good, 45-44. Hyman followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing and Clark ended that 3-point burst by sinking one from the right baseline.
After Holy Family closed to within, 51-47 with 15:49 remaining, Lincoln heated up again from 3-point distance. After a rare miss, Lincoln made three straight 3-pointers: Hyman, Mooney and Hyman. By the time, Lincoln's 3-point barrage ended, HFU was buried beneath the rubble and trailing, 62-49, with 13:32 remaining. Lincoln made a remarkable 6-of-7 3-pointers during the game-altering 20-5 run.
Although Holy Family closed to 66-57 with 7:07 remaining, Lincoln remained poised and worked the clock to get high percentage shots. Overall, Lincoln made a season-high 49.2 percent of its shots (29-for-59). The Lions were red-hot after intermission, shooting 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from the field and 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from 3-point distance.
Clark was the beneficiary of Lincoln's marksmanship. Clark was able to pass out of double-teams and find open players. At times, Lincoln players passed up open 3-pointers to get teammates a higher percentage 3-point attempt.
“As a point guard, having the shooters on a roll gives me a sense of security,” Clark said. “I know if I kick them the ball, they'll make a play for us. Going into Thanksgiving, this win feels good and its something to be thankful for. We want to build off of this victory.”
Holy Family (0-4 overall) placed four players in double figures highlighted by Ceazer Johnson's 17 points and eight rebounds. Quincy Marshall scored 15 points for the Tigers. Pat Kelly finished with 12 points and Justin Swidowski collected 10 points.
The first half featured nine lead changes and six ties. Lincoln won the rebounding battle, 40-38, for the first time this season. The Lions outscored Holy Family's bench, 22-6. Holy Family's largest lead of the game was 12-6 following Kelly's layup with 14:29 remaining in the first half. More impressive was Lincoln had a season-high 19 assists on 29 baskets.
Lincoln returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Shaw University beginning at 3:00 p.m. Holy Family's next game is Saturday afternoon at home against New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) beginning at 4:00 p.m.
NOTES: This was Lincoln's first victory over a NCAA team since it defeated Catholic University, 81-70, on March 3, 2007 in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. ...The Lions defeated non-NCAA members Briarcliffe twice, PSU-Brandywine and Newport News Apprentice last year. …Lincoln improved to 5-9 against Holy Family all-time. …It was Lincoln's first victory over Holy Family since an 83-80 victory during the 1998-99 season. …Finally, this was Lincoln's first victory over a Division II opponent since a 112-102 victory over Chowan on December 2, 2005. ...Lincoln has attempted 195 3-pointers through six games. That's 49.6 percent of Lincoln's 393 shots for the season.
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