Rams Charge to 78-67 Victory over St. Leo’s in First ’09 Win
Orlando, FL- The third game proved to be the charm in a 78-67 win for the Philadelphia University men's basketball team (1-2) over St. Leo's College (1-2) in the final game of the Disney Tip-Off Classic on Sunday night. PhilaU was led by senior guard Russell Frederick's (Baltimore, MD/ Calvert Hall) 23 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Rams shot 58% from the floor and held SLC to just 39%.
A trey in the first half at 8:12 by Frederick would catch PhilaU up 20-20 and an ensuing layup by sophomore forward J.J. Gundry (McAdoo, PA/ Hazleton Area) gave the Rams a lead they would never give up. Gundry finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The PhilaU squad led 40-33 going into halftime.
Senior forward Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia, PA/ Solebury Prep) dropped two quick buckets in the first four minutes of the second half to push PhilaU to their biggest lead of the contest at 51-35. Ingram had 22 points, seven boards and one assist on the night.
With under two minutes to go, freshman guard Ed DiRugeris (Plymouth Meeting, PA/ Pennsbury) nailed a three-pointer to keep the Rams up by double digits and hold on for the eventual 78-67 victory. DiRugeris had 11 points and three rebounds for PhilaU.
The team will return to Philadelphia and get 10 days rest before facing Chestnut Hill College on Wednesday (11/18) at 8:00 p.m. on the road in their next contest.
