OFFICIAL SITE OF THE VILLA MARIA VIKINGS

TITUSVILLE, PA - The Villa Maria Vikings shot 67.2 percent from the floor and freshman Darius Huggins (Buffalo, NY/Lackawanna) posted 29 points and 12 rebounds as they got back in the win column with a 117-102 victory over the University of Pittsburgh-Titusville on Saturday evening.

Five players were in double figures as Huggins paced the Vikings with his eighth double-double of the year.  He was 13-of-14 from the floor in just 25 minutes.  Freshman Donte Campbell (Buffalo, NY/Huch Tech) chipped in 21 points off the bench while junior Andre Diggs (Bronx, NY/Erie Community) recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Pitt jumped out to an early 6-2 lead before Diggs and junior Kirby Driscoll (Angola, NY/Lakeshore) tied the game with back-to-back buckets.  Villa took an 11-10 lead minutes later when Diggs scored five straight points.  Villa extended that lead to 17-10 with 11:19 left two buckets from sophomore Justin Skokes (Buffalo, NY/Middle Early College) and a dunk from Huggins.  

Pitt was able to rip off an 8-0 run which put them back in front 18-17 but Diggs and Huggins scored the next four to regain the lead.  The two teams traded baskets until Villa was able to take a seven-point lead multiple times in the later stages of the first half.  Pitt got within one with 40 seconds left before Driscoll scored in the paint and freshman Malcolm Hendrick (Buffalo, NY/Cardoza) closed the half with a three.

Villa never trailed in the second half and extended it's lead to 12 early when Justin Stokes finished on the fastbreak with 15:42 left.  They led by as many as 20 in the second half.  The Vikings scored 88 of their 117 points in the fastbreak while the bench contributed a season-best 77 points.  The Vikings also had 80 points in the paint.  

Isaiah Perry scored a game-high 36 points for Pittsburgh but it wasn't enough as the Vikings held the Panthers to 41.3 percent shooting.

Stokes, and Jayson Moore (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) scored 10 points apiece for Villa while Diggs also added six assists to his crowded stat line.  Driscoll added nine, while Hendrick and DeJaun Owens (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry) finished with eight points each.

The Vikings are off until December 21 when they host Sheridan College at 4 p.m. in the team's last game before Christmas.