Bloomfield, NJ – (1/9/2009) – Chestnut Hill College challenged Bloomfield College in a high-scoring Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) affair this afternoon. The Deacons managed to pull away for a 51-41 halftime lead late in the opening period, before holding their distance for a 99-90 win. Junior forward Gage Daye (Newark, N.J.) led all scorers with 34 points; he scored 21 of those in the closing frame to pace the Deacons' efficient offense (35-of-60, 58.3%). Sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) led the Griffins with, a career-high, 20 points.

With 5:23 remaining in the opening half, the Deacons grabbed a 40-31 lead on a three-point basket from junior guard Ryan Rodrigues (New Bedford, Mass.). The bucket finally gave Bloomfield College (10-3, 4-0) a comfortable lead in the opening half, as the Griffins attempted to keep pace with the conference's most potent offense. Chestnut Hill College (5-8, 1-3) trailed by ten at halftime, 51-41, and they were able to keep close to that margin for most of the closing half with four players scoring at least 17 points. However, the Deacons still pushed their advantage to 17, 85-69, by the five-minute mark on the play of Daye. The CACC's leading scorer added seven assists to his 11-for-19 (57.9%) shooting performance, he was 10-of-16 from the free throw line. Rodrigues finished with 18 points, while sophomore guard Ahmad Harris (Linden, N.J.) and senior forward Emery Mitchell (El Cajon, Cal.) each provided ten points.

Comas was 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the floor and 8-of-10 (80.0%) at the line for a career-high 20 points. He led the Griffins in scoring and rebounding, as he hustled to eight caroms. Comas was complimented by freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) and graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA), who scored 18 points apiece. They combined for nine assists, directing the Griffin offense. Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD) chipped in with 17 points while senior guard Julian McFadden (Philadelphia, PA) added eight points and seven rebounds.

The men's basketball team will welcome Caldwell College to campus for their next CACC contest, an 8:00 p.m. game on Monday, January 18.

BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE 99, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 90

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (5-8, 1-3 CACC)
COMAS, Dan 6-13 8-10 20; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 6-14 3-5 18; JETER, Larz 7-14 4-6 18; COOK, Ryan 7-14 0-1 17; McFADDEN, Julian 2-7 3-4 8; RIVERS, Andre 2-4 0-0 5; PERRY, Mike Jr. 1-2 1-3 4; HANDY, R.J. 0-1 0-3 0; ASHE, Francis 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-71 19-32 90.

BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE (10-3, 4-0 CACC)
DAYE, Gage 11-19 10-16 34; RODRIGUES, Ryan 7-9 0-0 18; HARRIS, Ahmad 3-4 3-4 10; MITCHELL, Emery 3-4 4-5 10; SAWYERR, Jeff 4-6 1-6 9; BRANTLEY, Elias 3-5 1-2 9; PILARTE, Wilson 2-6 0-0 4; WAFULA, Matt 1-2 0-0 2; YOUNG, Robert 1-3 0-0 2; SAMPSON, Chris 0-2 1-4 1; ELIEZER, Woody 0-0 0-0 0; AHANEKU, Nnamdi 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-60 20-37 99.

Points by Half                              1          2          F
Chestnut Hill College               41        49         90
Bloomfield College                   51        48         99

3-point goals--Chestnut Hill College 9-19 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 3-7; COOK, Ryan 3-6; RIVERS, Andre 1-1; PERRY, Mike Jr. 1-1; McFADDEN, Julian 1-3; HANDY, R.J. 0-1), Bloomfield MBB 9-20 (RODRIGUES, Ryan 4-6; DAYE, Gage 2-6; BRANTLEY, Elias 2-3; HARRIS, Ahmad 1-1; PILARTE, Wilson 0-3; SAWYERR, Jeff 0-1). Fouled out--Chestnut Hill College-ASHE, Francis; COOK, Ryan, Bloomfield MBB-None. Rebounds--Chestnut Hill College 35 (COMAS, Dan 8), Bloomfield MBB 49 (SAWYERR, Jeff 9; PILARTE, Wilson 9). Assists—Chestnut Hill College 13 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 5), Bloomfield MBB 20 (DAYE, Gage 7). Total fouls--Chestnut Hill College 26, Bloomfield MBB 27. Technical fouls--Chestnut Hill College-None, Bloomfield MBB-None.