New Castle, DE – (1/26/2010) – Graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA)commanded the floor in this evening's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest at Wilmington University. The Griffin captain guided Chestnut Hill College to an 11-0 lead before the Wildcats eventually clawed back in the contest by halftime, 41-34. Jeter ignited another Griffin run to start the closing half helping Chestnut Hill College endure the Wildcats down the stretch and earn a 73-66 victory.

Chestnut Hill College (7-10, 3-5) struck quickly, establishing an 11-0 advantage in the opening 2:46. Jeter and sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) teamed to spirit the Griffins out of the gate. A Jeter three-pointer at 12:44 pushed the lead to 13, 21-8, before Wilmington University (6-10, 3-4) responded. Senior guard Blake Rubenstein (Ambler, Pa.) led the Wildcats' reprise; with two long range buckets he carried Wilmington University on a 15-1 run which put the home team ahead 23-22 with 8:15 left in the half. The conference rivals did not separate by more than four until the Griffins closed the period with consecutive scores, 41-34. Jeter seized the reigns to start the second half and the Griffins promptly reestablished their lead to 13, 54-51, with 14:24 remaining, but the Wildcats ran the margin back down to three, 65-62, by the time the clock reached 2:30. Fortunately, the Griffins' late free throws and suffocating defense held the Wildcats at bay for the remainder of the game.

Rubenstein totaled 14 points hitting 4-of-9 (44.4%) from three-point range, but senior forward Antonio Sherrod (Glen Burnie, Md.) led the Wildcats with 17 points and nine rebounds; he was 6-of-8 (75.0%) from the floor and 5-of-7 (71.4%). Additionally, sophomore forward Brandon Savage (Philadelphia, Pa.) recorded 12 points and six rebounds; senior guard Vernon Dupree (Wilmington, Del.) totaled 13 points, four assists, and two steals; and junior guard Marcus Gomes (Brooklyn, N.Y.) supplied ten points off the bench.

Jeter led the Griffins to a 51.9% (28-of-54) shooting percentage with an 8-of-9 (88.9%) evening, he was 3-of-3 (100.0%) from deep and 2-of-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Jeter also totaled seven assists and two steals. Comas provided 13 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD)finished with 18 points getting of his recent shooting slump with a 7-of-16 (43.8%) shooting performance, he also grabbed six rebounds. Freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ)scored ten points and freshman guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD)contributed five assists, three blocks, and two steals.

The men's basketball team resumes their CACC schedule on Saturday, January 30, when they host Nyack College for a 3:00 p.m. contest. 

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 73, WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY 66

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (7-10, 3-5)

JETER, Larz 8-9 2-3 21; COOK, Ryan 7-16 0-0 18; COMAS, Dan 6-9 1-2 13; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 3-4 4-4 10; McFADDEN, Julian 2-3 0-0 6; ASHE, Francis 1-7 0-0 2; PERRY, Mike Jr. 1-2 0-0 2; RIVERS, Andre 0-0 1-2 1; DAVIDHEISER, Trenton 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 28-54 8-11 73.

WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY (6-10, 3-4 CACC)

SHERROD, Antonio 6-18 5-7 17; RUBENSTEIN, Blake 5-13 0-0 14; DUPREE, Vernon 5-8 3-4 13; SAVAGE, Brandon 5-11 2-2 12; GOMES, Marcus 4-7 1-1 10; HAIRSTON, Allen 0-0 0-0 0; DANIEL, Elijah 0-3 0-0 0; MASON, Isiah 0-3 0-0 0; MYERS, Mike 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-63 11-14 66

Points by Half                             1          2          F

Chestnut Hill College                     41        32        73

Wilmington University                   34        32        66

3-point goals--Chestnut Hill College 9-15 (COOK, Ryan 4-7; JETER, Larz 3-3; McFADDEN, Julian 2-3; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-1; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 0-1), Wilmington University (M) 5-16 (RUBENSTEIN, Blake 4-9; GOMES, Marcus 1-4; DANIEL, Elijah 0-2; MASON, Isiah 0-1). Fouled out--Chestnut Hill College-None, Wilmington University (M)-None. Rebounds--Chestnut Hill College 34 (COMAS, Dan 11), Wilmington University (M) 32 (SHERROD, Antonio 9). Assists--Chestnut Hill College 16 (JETER, Larz 7), Wilmington University (M) 15 (DUPREE, Vernon 4). Total fouls--Chestnut Hill College 17, Wilmington University (M) 13. Technical fouls--Chestnut Hill College-None, Wilmington University (M)-None. A-200