Athlete Awards

Athletes of the Week

Noel Hightower

Noel Hightower

  • Award
    Athletes of the Week
  • Week Of
    2/23/2015
  • Sport
    Men's Basketball
  • Bio
    View Full Bio
Wins and Record Shooting Land Cassidy and Hightower on CACC Weekly Release 
    
New Haven, Conn. – (2/17/2015) – A week of record breaking for sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.) earned Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) acclaim as the Griffins long-range specialist hit 15-of-22 (68.2%) three-pointers over two games to set program records for three-pointers in a single game (8) and three-pointer made in a single season (76+) while setting a personal scoring records in back-to-back contests with respective 27-point and 28-point games. He was joined on the CACC’s Weekly Men’s Basketball Report by junior forward Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.), who took home the league’s weekly Defensive Player award with four blocks and three steals in conference wins at Georgian Court University and versus Felician College.

Chestnut Hill College (6-19, 5-13) swept Georgian Court University for a second consecutive year on Tuesday night as the Griffins sophomore guard connected on 8-of-13 (61.5%) three-point shots to keep pace for the CACC lead in three-pointers made and record a career-high 27 points in a 81-64 league win. Cassidy led the game off with a trifecta and the hits kept coming as he rushed the Griffins out to an nine-point advantage, 18-9, at 15:09, that reached double digits for the first time at 8:28, 24-14, and remained there as play broke for intermission, 37-27. Another Cassidy three-pointer came as the first basket of the second half, 40-27 at 19:37, and from the Griffins were in flight, expanding their lead to 15 points, 44-29 at 17:43, before outlasting several Lion rallies on their way to a their largest margin of victory this season, 81-64 (17 points).

Cassidy’s hot hand propelled the Griffins to their best three-point shooting effort (12-of-21, 57.1%) since a 73-66 win over Dowling College back on November 28, 2009, when the Griffins combined to hit 13-of-29 (44.8%) from beyond the arch. The effort was Cassidy’s third of five or more three-pointers this season. He also recorded three rebounds, three assists, and a steal while Hightower anchored the Griffin defense with three blocks and two steals.

Cassidy carried his hot hand into Saturday’s contest, making certain that Senior Day ended with a celebration by notching a new career high for the second consecutive game and continuing his torrid shooting in an 82-66 decision against Felician College.

After honoring senior centers Seamus Radtke (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Filip Sekulic (Danilovgrad, Montenegro) and guard Joseph Sipocz (Sykesville, Md.) before the game, Cassidy poured in a new personal best with 28 points on a sizzling 7-of-9 (77.8%) showing from beyond the arc, breaking the single-season mark for 3-pointers made in the process.

Chestnut Hill College trailed 12-5 in the early going but they soon recovered for a 15-15 tie, the fifth of the first 10 minutes, before the Golden Falcons pulled back ahead at 27-23 with 3:39 left in the period. The home side flipped the script from that point on, embarking on a 25-3 run that spanned the halftime break and ended with the Griffins comfortably ahead, 48-30, with 17:11 to play. Cassidy jumpstarted the stretch with a jumper and followed with a triple that gave the Griffins the lead for good, 30-27 (02:03), while eclipsing the program's previous mark of 71 three-pointers in a season, set by Mark DiRugeris Jr. ‘13 during the 2012-2013 campaign.     
 
Cassidy is on a remarkable tear from the outside as the sophomore followed up his record-setting effort against the Lions with a 10-of-13 (76.9%) field goal effort against the Golden Falcons. Hightower recorded a block and a steal in the affair which left him fourth in the CACC for block-per-game (1.6) and tied for fourth in total blocks (38).  

The men’s basketball team looks to finish the season on a three-game winning streak when Holy Family University visits Sorgenti Arena for an 8:00 p.m. CACC tip on Tuesday, February 24.


Athlete Awards
Date Athlete Sport
3/23/2021 Kiki Dagneaux Men's Tennis
3/22/2021 Andrew Dietz Baseball
3/22/2021 Billy Bethel Baseball
3/22/2021 J.R. Howell Men's Lacrosse
3/16/2021 Alani Naje Connor Women's Tennis
3/15/2021 Jake Miller Men's Lacrosse
3/15/2021 Jackson Melnick Men's Lacrosse
3/15/2021 Zachary Ornstein Men's Lacrosse
3/15/2021 Anthony Coombs Baseball
3/15/2021 Danielle Vassallo Women's Lacrosse
3/15/2021 Dan Rockenbach Baseball
3/15/2021 Sam Barletta Baseball
3/15/2021 Carson Rees Men's Lacrosse
3/1/2021 J.R. Howell Men's Lacrosse
3/1/2021 Jackson Melnick Men's Lacrosse
2/11/2021 Maddie Gannon Women's Bowling
2/4/2021 Christina Del Vecchio Women's Bowling
4/27/2020 Spencer Fitzgerald Women's Lacrosse
4/27/2020 Michael Marino Sprint Football
3/18/2020 Spencer Fitzgerald Women's Lacrosse
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