Philadelphia, PA – (11/16/2009) – Opening at home for the first time in program history, the Chestnut Hill College men's basketball team enjoyed the home court advantage to a 68-53 triumph over Bloomsburg University. The Griffins gained a 35-30 halftime lead with a 14-point opening half from freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) .Graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA) was a constant presence and with his first career double-double he led the Griffins past a tough Husky defense to victory.

Chestnut Hill College (1-0) built on the efforts of DiRugeris in the second half, extending a 35-30 lead into a 14-point advantage, 55-41, with 10:07 remaining. Bloomsburg University (0-1) shaved the deficit to ten points on a couple of occasions (6:36 and 4:46) off the impressive defense of sophomore forward Larry Webster (Elkton, Md.). He swatted nine shots and freshman forward Ed Hall (Spencerville, Md.) denied three more. They also led the Huskies offensively, but junior guard Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, PA)and Jeter governed the Griffins over lengthy Huskie defense to an opening win.

Senior guard Greg Elliott (White Rock, BC) helped the Huskies keep pace through the opening half. He finished the contest with nine points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Webster was a force in the paint for the Huskies. He nearly completed a triple-double, but fell one block shy of the accomplishment (12P-11RB-9BLK). The Huskies held a narrow shooting advantage over the Griffins (34.4% - 33.3%), but it was the long-rang accuracy of Chestnut Hill College that carried them.

The Griffins hit 8-of-19 (42.1%) from beyond the arc in the opening half. DiRugeris was 4-of-7 (57.1%), and inspired the Griffins to a five-point halftime lead. He led the Griffins in his collegiate debut, scoring 18 points and harnessing eight second-half rebounds. Jeter helped DiRugeris in the opening half with seven points, eight rebounds, and two steals. Only to follow it with nine points, three rebounds, and three steals in the second half for renaissance-like 16 points, 11 rebounds, and five steals. Williams and senior guard Julian McFadden (Philadelphia, PA) were aggressive all night long and each reached double-digits. Williams finished with 14 points and led the team with five assists; McFadden complimented with 12 points.

The men's basketball team will open their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) on Wednesday, November 18, with a 8:00 p.m. contest against Philadelphia University.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 68, BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY 53

BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY (0-1)
HALL, Ed 5-9 3-8 13; WEBSTER, Larry 6-10 0-1 12; ELLIOTT, Greg 3-9 2-3 9; BETAR, Jesse 2-7 2-3 7; BRITT, Ruben 3-9 0-0 6; SMACK, Jamar 1-5 2-2 4; JOHNSON, Trevon 1-7 0-0 2; KNIGHT, Earl 0-4 0-0 0; EPPS, Trenton 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 21-61 9-19 53.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (1-0)
DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 4-10 6-6 18; JETER, Larz 7-12 0-1 16; WILLIAMS, Brandon 3-11 6-7 14; McFADDEN, Julian 2-7 6-9 12; COMAS, Dan 2-5 1-1 5; COOK, Ryan 1-9 1-2 3; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-0 0-0 0; RIVERS, Andre 0-2 0-0 0; ASHE, Francis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-57 20-26 68.

Points by Half                                       1          2          F
Bloomsburg University                      30        23        53
Chestnut Hill College                         35         33        68

3-point goals--Bloomsburg University 2-18 (BETAR, Jesse 1-3; ELLIOTT, Greg 1-6; BRITT, Ruben 0-3; SMACK, Jamar 0-3; JOHNSON, Trevon 0-3), Chestnut Hill College 10-28 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 4-8; McFADDEN, Julian 2-7; WILLIAMS, Brandon 2-9; JETER, Larz 2-2; COOK, Ryan 0-2). Fouled out—Bloomsburg University-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. Rebounds--Bloomsburg University 44 (WEBSTER, Larry 11), Chestnut Hill College 43 (JETER, Larz 11). Assists--Bloomsburg University 12 (ELLIOTT, Greg 3), Chestnut Hill College 13 (WILLIAMS, Brandon 5). Total fouls--Bloomsburg University 17, Chestnut Hill College 19. Technical fouls--Bloomsburg University-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-399