Philadelphia, PA – (1/30/2010) – Nyack College erased an 11-point, 75-64, Chestnut Hill College advantage in the final five minutes of regulation to lead by two, 79-77, with 30 seconds left on the clock. On the Griffins' final possession, graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA)earned a trip to the line and he converted both bonus free throws knotting the contest at 79, and forcing overtime. The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opponents never separated by more than a basket in the extra period, but defensive confusion provided senior guard Julian McFadden (Philadelphia, PA)a clean lane to the hoop and he took advantage of the opportunity to give the Griffins an 88-87 edge with only seconds left. Nyack College's final heave did not find its target as Chestnut Hill College escaped with an 88-87 overtime victory.

Chestnut Hill College (8-10, 4-5) came out firing and control play throughout the opening half. After the opening bucket from Nyack College (11-10, 6-4), the Griffins dictated play with a 54.8% (17-of-31) shooting percentage in the period. With 6:52 remaining their lead reached as many as 19, 37-18, with a balanced attack from sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA)sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD)and freshman guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) Each had nine points in the frame. Junior forward James Oyamo (Nairobi, Kenya) led the Warriors with ten points.

The Griffins continued to control the contest after the break until the Warriors found their touch from long range. Sophomore guard Matt Morgan (White Plains, N.Y.) and senior guard Jose Lopez (Medford, N.Y.) each knocked down key three-point baskets to complete the Warriors' second half comeback as the visiting team grabbed a 79-77 lead with 30 seconds remaining. The Griffins missed a layup of the ensuing trip down the court, but luckily the ball ricocheted off a Warrior leaving the home team with the final possession. Jeter drew a foul on the in-bound play and was an awarded a chance to tie the contest from the line and he converted both free throws to force overtime.

Oyamo led the Warriors with 27 points and nine rebounds. He was 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the field and 7-of-13 (53.8%) at the charity stripe, while also recording five assists, a block, and two steals. Morgan finished with 19 points, he was 5-of-8 (62.5%) from beyond the arch. Sophomore forward Lafayette Curtis (Staten Island, N.Y.) added 12 points and three blocks on the interior.

The Griffins made their bread in the paint, outscoring the Warriors 42-20 down low. Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD)led Chestnut Hill College with 22 points while also collecting six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Comas continued his strong post play with his third straight double-double, and sixth of the season. He finished with 17 points on 8-of-13 (61.5%) shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds. Ashe totaled a season-high 16 points on 7-of-11 (63.6%) shooting and Jeter added ten points. Freshman guardMark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ)contributed 11 points in the win. McFadden and Cook each provided four assists.

The men's basketball team heads to Goldey-Beacom College on Tuesday, February 2, as they continue their CACC schedule with an 8:00 p.m. contest.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 88, NYACK COLLEGE 87

NYACK COLLEGE (11-10, 6-4 CACC)
OYAMO, James 10-15 7-13 27; MORGAN, Matt 7-10 0-0 19; CURTIS, Lafayette 4-7 4-4 12; POGUE, Steve 3-10 0-0 8; LOPEZ, Jose 3-13 0-0 8; WILLIAMS, Andrew 3-6 1-1 7; WILLIAMS, Chris 1-1 0-0 3; JACKSON, Jamaur 1-1 0-0 2; WILLIAMS, Aundrae 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 32-66 13-20 87.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (8-10, 4-5 CACC)
COOK, Ryan 8-16 2-2 22; COMAS, Dan 8-13 1-5 17; ASHE, Francis 7-11 1-1 16; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 4-6 2-2 11; JETER, Larz 4-11 2-2 10; McFADDEN, Julian 2-7 0-0 5; PERRY, Mike Jr. 1-2 2-2 4; DAVIDHEISER, Trenton 1-3 1-2 3; RIVERS, Andre 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 35-70 11-16 88.

Points by Half                 1         2         OT        F
Nyack College                  30       49        8           87

Chestnut Hill College        42       37        9           88

3-point goals--Nyack College 10-27 (MORGAN, Matt 5-8; LOPEZ, Jose 2-10; POGUE, Steve 2-7; WILLIAMS, Chris 1-1; WILLIAMS, Aundrae 0-1), Chestnut Hill College 7-16 (COOK, Ryan 4-6; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 1-3; McFADDEN, Julian 1-4; ASHE, Francis 1-1; JETER, Larz 0-2). Fouled out--Nyack College-WILLIAMS, Andrew, Chestnut Hill College-None. Rebounds--Nyack College 36 (OYAMO, James 9), Chestnut Hill College 38 (COMAS, Dan 12). Assists--Nyack College 24 (OYAMO, James 5; POGUE, Steve 5), Chestnut Hill College 19 (COOK, Ryan 4; McFADDEN, Julian 4). Total fouls--Nyack College 16, Chestnut Hill College 21. Technical fouls--Nyack College-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-130