GLENSIDE, Pa. – The Arcadia University men's basketball team opened the 2015-16 campaign with a 79-61 victory over Haverford Friday night in the MAC-Centennial Challenge. Four Knights posted double figure, led by freshmen Phil Pierfy (19) and Evan Slone (17).

The Fords jumped out to an early lead of as many as five over the first few minutes of the contest, however the Knights responded instantly. Henry Stevens opened the game with a basket from distance to open the game before Matt Sherman gave Haverford their five point lead after a layup. Arcadia took its first lead of the night on a Ryan Kelley three-pointer just under five minutes in and never looked back.

The Scarlet and Grey put together a quick six-point run over a span of about a minute, as Pierfy laid in a pair of layups before Slone capped the spurt with a layup of his own, the run extended the Knights' lead to double digits for the first time. Arcadia led by as many as 13 in the opening 20 minutes.

Kelley posted 13 points in the half on 4-6 six shooting, including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Slone pulled down five boards to go with nine points. Shooting 40.5% from the field and 45.5% from distance, the Scarlet and Grey took a 40-27 lead to the break.

The second half saw more dominance from the Knights as they opened the frame on a 13-5 run over the first five minutes. Brandon Thompson kick started the offense with a three-pointer for the Knights' first points of the half, Pierfy finished the run with a fast break layup to expand the lead to 21.

Arcadia led by a game-high 25 on two separate occasions, first following a pair of Pierfy free throws just short of the half way point, then on the heels of a Thompson three with 5:15 left on the clock.

Pierfy finished his collegiate debut with four rebounds and a block to accompany his team-leading 19 points. Slone grabbed a team-best eight boards, while handing out an assist, blocking a shot and registering a steal. Kelley finished the game with 13 points while also dishing out four helpers. John Landro rounds out the double-digit scorers for the Knights with 12, he had a team-leading five assists.

The Knights took advantage of Ford turnovers, as they scored 18 points off turnovers compared to nine for the opposition.  As a team, the Knights shot 41.8% from the field and 36.8% from three-point land.

The Knights (1-0) are back in action tomorrow night as they travel to Muhlenberg for the second day of the MAC-Centennial Challenge.