Philadelphia, PA – (12/2/2009) – Seven minutes into tonight's contest, Chestnut Hill College owned a 12-point lead over 12th ranked, Kutztown College. Unfortunately, The Golden Bears lived up to the billing as they turned the tables on the Griffins; using a 55.9% team shooting performance rally for a 92-77 victory. Senior guard Stephen Dennis (West Chester, Pa.) ignited the Golden Bears with a triple-double, 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD) and graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA) got Chestnut Hill College (3-3) out to a quick start after the opening tip. Cook drained two three-pointers and Jeter muscled in two lay-ups propelling the Griffins to a 19-7 lead at 13:31. Over the next ten minutes, Dennis dominated the floor and sparked the Golden Bears on a 35-11 run. They held a 42-30 with 3:25 left in the first half, but the Griffins closed the gap to seven by the break, 44-37, on the effort of sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) and Cook.
Dennis was complimented by the post play of junior forward Ryan Washington (Philadelphia, Pa.), as they teamed to push the Golden Bears' lead to 20, 70-50, midway through the closing frame (10:08). The Griffins could not keep pace, falling behind the Golden Bears due to a 55.9% (33-of-59) to 32.1% (25-of-78) shooting discrepancy. Dennis led the way with a 10-of-19 (52.6%) clip, but he also turned the ball over eight times. The Griffins held a 23-12 advantage in turnovers, but the Golden Bears won the battle on the boards 46-37. Washington grabbed 13 rebounds leading the Golden Bears on the glass; he also scored 23 points and made six blocks. Junior guard Julius Gray (Lincoln University, Pa.) added 16 points and was 4-of-6 (66.7%) from long range.
Five Griffins finished in double figures with freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) leading the way. DiRugeris Jr. scored 18 points and made four steals. Cook totaled 16 points, Jeter recorded 14 points, Comas, and senior guard Julian McFadden (Philadelphia, PA) scored 11 each. McFadden handled the point for the Griffins with six assists. Comas collected nine rebounds and Cook hustled to six.
The men's basketball team will welcome West Chester University to Sorgenti Arena for their next contest. A 1:00 p.m. affair on Saturday, December 5.
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY 92, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 77
KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY (3-0)
DENNIS,Stephen 10-19 9-9 31; WASHINGTON,Ryan 8-17 7-7 23; GRAY,Julius 5-10 2-2 16; JOHNSON,Tamir 4-4 1-2 9; WELLS,Ivory 3-5 0-0 7; WHITE,Ryan 2-2 0-0 4; HANKERSON,Zach 1-1 0-0 2; COFFEY,Steve 0-1 0-0 0; CHISHOLM,Lance 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-59 19-20 92.
CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (3-3)
DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 7-15 3-4 18; COOK, Ryan 6-16 2-3 16; JETER, Larz 5-10 4-4 14; COMAS, Dan 3-9 5-6 11; McFADDEN, Julian 3-11 2-2 11; WILLIAMS, Brandon 0-6 4-4 4; RIVERS, Andre 1-5 1-2 3; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-2 0-0 0; ASHE, Francis 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 25-78 21-25 77.
Points by Half 1 2 F
Kutztown University 44 48 92
Chestnut Hill College 37 40 77
3-point goals--Kutztown University 7-14 (GRAY,Julius 4-6; DENNIS,Stephen 2-3; WELLS,Ivory 1-3; COFFEY,Steve 0-1; WASHINGTON,Ryan 0-1), Chestnut Hill College 6-21 (McFADDEN, Julian 3-5; COOK, Ryan 2-3; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 1-7; WILLIAMS, Brandon 0-3; RIVERS, Andre 0-1; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-1; JETER, Larz 0-1). Fouled out--Kutztown University-WHITE,Ryan; WASHINGTON,Ryan, Chestnut Hill College-ASHE, Francis. Rebounds--Kutztown University 46 (WASHINGTON,Ryan 13), Chestnut Hill College 37 (COMAS, Dan 9). Assists--Kutztown University 21 (DENNIS,Stephen 11), Chestnut Hill College 11 (McFADDEN, Julian 6). Total fouls--Kutztown University 23, Chestnut Hill College 18. Technical fouls--Kutztown University-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-222
