Philadelphia, PA – (12/4/2010) – Freshman forward Khadim Ndiaye (Long Beach, NY) gave Chestnut Hill College their first lead of the contest and he led the Griffins to a 67-62 triumph over Cheyney University with his first career double-double. Ten points and six rebounds from Ndiaye helped the Griffins to a 28-24 halftime lead before team defense and some outside shooting delivered the first home win of the season.
Cheyney University (4-1) scored the first basket of the afternoon, but it was Chestnut Hill College (2-4) who held the advantage for the remainder of the affair. The Griffins held their initial lead until the Wolves knotted the contest at 7:20 on a three-point shot from senior guard Sharif Bray (Philadelphia, PA), 12-12. Again Ndiaye came through for the Griffins, converting a three-point play put the home team up 15-12 at the seven-minute mark (7:04). From there the Griffins controlled the period for a four-point halftime edge.
The Griffins backcourt changed the face of the game in the second half pushing the deficit to nine, 51-42, with just 5:33 to play. Senior guard Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, PA) and sophomore guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) held Bray to just seven points in the period while a 44.4% (12-for-27) Griffin shooting effort preserved the lead until the final buzzer. Williams and sophomore guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) and combined for five, three-pointers and three steals down the stretch.
Bray led the Wolves with 18 points. Senior forward David Burton (Philadelphia, PA) added 17 points and seven rebounds while senior guard Bruce Kennedy (Ambler, PA) chipped in with ten points.
In his first collegiate start, Ndiaye stepped up with 18 points and ten rebounds. He was efficient, hitting 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the field and leading the Griffins parade to the charity stripe (72.0%, 18-of-25) with a 6-of-7 (85.7%) clip from the free throw line. DiRugeris finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists while Williams totaled nine points, five rebounds, and six assists. Junior guard Uros Kovacevic (Kotor, Montenegro) contributed 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists to the victory.
The men's basketball team remains home to host Philadelphia University in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opener on Tuesday, December 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
