Philadelphia, PA – (2/13/2010) – Dominican College came out shooting 59.3% (16-of-27) in the opening half to lead Chestnut Hill College 39-23 at the break. The Griffins briefly cut the gap to under ten at the four-minute mark, but behind the play of freshman guard Leon Porter (Laurel, Md.) the Chargers withstood the rally for an 84-72 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) victory. Porter led all scorers with 24 points while freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) was the Griffins' leading scorer with 21 points.

Chestnut Hill College (10-12, 6-7) took the initial advantage before Dominican College (11-14, 7-7) responded with a mid-period run. Porter directed the Chargers out to a 26-14 advantage with 6:20 remaining in the frame before ending the half with a 16-point lead, 39-23. He had 15 points in the period, he was 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the floor, including 3-of-4 from long range. The Chargers' lead quickly ballooned to 20, 50-30, five minutes into the second half (14:53) and the Griffins never recovered. Dominican College moved the ball well (17 assists on 25 baskets) and was more efficient from the floor, shooting 51.0% (25-of-49).

Porter earned all his second-half points from the free throw line (9-of-10, 90.0%) to finish with a game-high 24 points, he also totaled three assists. Sophomore forward Mike Calzonetti (Gloucester, N.J.) added 15 points and shared the team lead in rebounding with seven boards. Freshman forward Gerald Hill (Gwynn Oak, Md.) pitched in with 12 points off the bench, while freshman guard Preston Smith (Mays Landing, N.J.) recorded 11 points.

DiRugeris scored 20 of his 21 points in the closing half, but it was not enough to bring the Griffins back. In the second half, he was 5-of-9 (55.6%) from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) from three-point territory, and 8-of-8 (100.0%) at the charity stripe. He also recorded four assists. Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD) totaled 15 points, and graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA) scored 13 points, while sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) collected seven points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

The men's basketball team resumes their CACC schedule at Felician College with an 8:00 p.m. contest on Thursday, February 18.

DOMINICAN COLLEGE 84, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 72

DOMINICAN COLLEGE (11-14, 7-7 CACC)
PORTER, Leon 6-14 9-10 24; CALZONETTI, Mike 4-8 6-7 15; HILL, Gerald 5-7 0-0 12; SMITH, Preston 4-7 1-2 11; HODZIC, Almin 3-3 3-4 9; HUSTON, Zach 1-2 4-4 6; McMANUS, Brendan 2-7 0-0 5; REDDICK, Marquis 0-1 2-4 2; STRADFORD, Tyler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-49 25-31 84.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (10-12, 6-7 CACC)
DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 5-10 9-10 21; COOK, Ryan 4-11 6-6 15; JETER, Larz 5-10 3-3 13; McFADDEN, Julian 4-8 0-0 9; COMAS, Dan 3-5 1-5 7; ASHE, Francis 2-7 0-0 4; DAVIDHEISER, Trenton 1-3 0-0 2; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 24-55 20-26 72.

Points by Half                   1       2       F
Dominican College          39   45     84
Chestnut Hill College       23  49     72

3-point goals--Dominican College 9-19 (PORTER, Leon 3-6; HILL, Gerald 2-3; SMITH, Preston 2-4; CALZONETTI, Mike 1-1; McMANUS, Brendan 1-5), Chestnut Hill College 4-17 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 2-7; COOK, Ryan 1-4; McFADDEN, Julian 1-4; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-1; JETER, Larz 0-1). Fouled out—Dominican College-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. Rebounds--Dominican College 30 (CALZONETTI, Mike 7; McMANUS, Brendan 7), Chestnut Hill College 32 (COMAS, Dan 14). Assists--Dominican College 17 (SMITH, Preston 3; PORTER, Leon 3), Chestnut Hill College 9 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 4). Total fouls—Dominican College 17, Chestnut Hill College 23. Technical fouls—Dominican College-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-151 PINK ZONE 2010