DiRugeris Garners Second Straight Honorable Mention on CACC Weekly Report
New Haven, Conn. – (1/14/2013) – Continuing his torrid scoring streak, senior guard
Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, N.J.) earned his second straight honorable mention for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Week award with 21 points in the Griffins 67-63 loss to Philadelphia University on January 12. DiRugeris has scored at least 20 points in six of the Griffins last seven contests to tie for the league’s scoring lead with 18.9 points-per-game (PPG).
Chestnut Hill College (7-8, 3-3) held the Philadelphia University (9-6, 5-2) in check early and led the CACC South Division leaders by one point, 11-10, with 14:31 remaining in the first half. It was the effort of sophomore guard Nick Schlitzer (Pottsville, Pa.) and freshman forward Peter Alexis (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) that got the Rams rolling and changed the complexion of the affair. Over the next ten minutes (5:20) the Ram lead climbed to 15 points, 29-14, but with a steal and seven consecutive points from junior guard
Jakeem Bogans (Philadelphia, Pa.) the Griffins were back within eight points, 31-23, with 3:40 left in the half. Unfortunately, Bogans' rallying effort was quickly negated with an equally momentous Ram surge, spirited by freshman guard Andre Gibbs (Smyrna, Del.). The 8-2 run left the halftime spread at 14 points, 39-25. The Griffins appeared to be defeated early in the second half, as the Rams maxed at 17 points, 57-40, on a Connolly jumper with 10:43 to play. That is when Walck woke Sorgenti Arena crowd, contributing all nine of his points and directing a 15-2 run that left the Griffins behind four points, 59-55, with 4:12 to play. DiRugeris and sophomore forward
Alssene Saintilus (Irvington, N.J.) looked to complete the Griffin comeback, but the effort was matched by Alexis and Gibbs, who preserved the Rams advantage for a 67-63 victory.
DiRugeris was 8-of-17 (47.1%) from the floor, including 3-of-7 (42.9%) from three-point range, and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line in his 21-point performance. He also grabbed two rebounds and made a steal in the affair. In addition to his scoring, DiRugeris ranks among the top four in the CACC for three-point (3rd, 42-of-96, 43.8%) and free throw (T4th, 69-of-75, 92.0%) shooting.
The men's basketball team will continue their CACC schedule on Tuesday, January 15, when they travel to Goldey-Beacom College for an 8:00 p.m. contest.
