McWade and Hightower Garnered as CACCÂ Honor Roll Mentions on Final Weekly Honoree
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New Haven, Conn. – (3/1/2016) – The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) announced the final installment of weekly honorees for men’s basketball yesterday, Monday, February 29, which featured senior guard Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.) and sophomore forward Edward McWade (Wildwood, N.J.) as Honor Roll mentions. This is the fourth CACC Weekly Honor Roll mention for McWade (12/7, 12/21, 2/8, 2/29) and second for Hightower (11/16, 2/29), who previously earned the CACC Defensive Player of the Week (DPOW) on December 21, 2015, and February 15, 2016.
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Finding their stride at the most important time of the season, Chestnut Hill College closed the regular season with a second straight CACC victory over a South Division rival. The Griffins led for a majority of the contest behind the combined efforts of McWade, sophomore guard Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.), and freshman forward Bryant Quill (Pottstown, Pa.), who powered the Scarlet and Gold to a 74-70 victory over Philadelphia University.
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Chestnut Hill College scored on their first possession, 2-0 at 19:24, and at least shared the lead until a buzzer-beating layup from senior forward T.J. Huggins (Alexandria, Va.) sent Philadelphia University (21-7, 14-5) to the locker room up 29-28. In the second half, the Rams went up by five points, 34-29 at 18:04, before a free throw from freshman forward Dakpe Yiljep (Samaru-Zaria, Nigeria) (34-30 at 17:32), and a McWade three-pointer brought the Griffins back within one point, 34-33, with 16:51 to play. The score tied three times over the next five minutes, before an Isaac layup returned the Scarlet and Gold to the lead for good, 45-43, with 11:14 remaining in the fray. Chestnut Hill College's lead reached as many as seven points, 54-47, on a poignant Quill dunk with 7:10 left and was preserved at a four-point final margin, 74-70, on his and Isaac's game-clinching free throws.
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McWade scored game high 21 points in a 7-of-13 (.538) shooting performance that included a 3-of-7 (.429) clip from long range, and was accompanied by a 4-of-6 (.667) effort from charity stripe. He also recorded five rebounds, an assist and a block. Hightower finished with nine points on 4-of-6 (.667) shooting and a free throw (1-of-2, .500). He also hauled down five boards, three offensively, while dishing out two assists, and recording both a block and a steal.Â
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With all five starters in double figures, #1N Bloomfield College defeated #4S Chestnut Hill College, 79-69, in Saturday's CACC Opening Round contest. Senior forward Claude Blue (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the quartet with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double that came with three blocks and a steal. The Griffins received a career-high 23 points from McWade and a pair of double-doubles from Hightower (12 points and 12 rebounds) and freshman forward Antonio Toplyn Jr. (Sicklerville, N.J.) (10 points and 10 rebounds).
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It was the heart of Hightower and a pair of three point baskets from senior guard Ryan Griffin (West Friendship, Md.) that kept Chestnut Hill College (13-15, 10-9) within five points, 35-30, of Bloomfield College (15-12, 13-6) at intermission. Bloomfield College gradually extended their lead to double-digits, 51-41, over the first five minutes of the second half (14:28). A minute and a half later (12:53) the margin remained at 10 points, 53-43, but that is when Quill’s long range bucket, 53-46 (12:13), an incomplete three-point play from McWade, 53-48 (11:41), and a redeeming trifecta trimmed the Bear bulge to just two points, 53-51, with 11:06 remaining. But again Bloomfield College survived, escaping the Griffins' grasp with a resurgent effort that reestablished the spread at 10 points, 74-64, with 2:34 to go and preserved it until the final buzzer rang on a 79-69 final.
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McWade was 8-of-18 (.444) from the field and 3-of-6 (.500) from the free throw line, scoring 18 second-half points. He hit four (4-of-10, .400) from long range and grabbed eight rebounds. In a sensational swan song performance, Hightower added six assists, two blocks, and two steals to his double-double.
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The Chestnut Hill College men's basketball team finished the 2015-2016 season with a 10-13 overall record and a 10-9 standing in the CACC.
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