Philadelphia, PA – (2/4/2010) – Two Tiger turnovers and two Griffin buckets forced Holy Family University to use a timeout just 47 seconds into the contest. Chestnut Hill College lengthened their advantage to ten by halftime, 40-30, before closing out the Tigers on an 87-83 final. The Griffins are in the midst of their longest National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II winning streak, recording victories in their last four Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contests. Six Griffins finished in double figures with freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) recording a team-high 19 points.

Chestnut Hill College (10-10, 6-5) used their quick start to gain the upper hand in the first half. The margin reached 13, 21-8, with 13:21 still to play if the period as the Griffins enjoyed a comfortable lead heading into the locker room. DiRugeris totaled 12 points in the half, hitting 5-of-8 (62.5%) from the field and 2-of-4 (50.0%) from beyond the three-point line.

The second half opened similar to the first, as the Griffins quickly extended their advantage to 20, 52-32, with a 12-2 opening run. The Tigers struggled to keep up until the play of freshman guard Khiry Hankins (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore forward Justin Swidowski (Cinnaminson, N.J.) spirited a late offensive surge. The deficit melted to a six-point margin, 80-74, on a three-point basket from Hankins with 1:30 still to play. The long range bucket forced the Griffins to refocus their defense with a timeout. Following the pause, the Griffins settled in defensively while graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA) and DiRugeris cemented the victory with free throws in the final minutes. Swidowski kept the Tigers alive throughout the contest as he led all scorers with 32 points and 12 rebounds. He was 15-of-18 (83.3%) from the floor and 2-of-2 (100.0%) from the charity stripe while also accumulating four blocks and two steals defensively. Hankins finished with 23 points (9-of-14, 64.3%) and junior forward Rickie Crews (Westville, N.J.) added 16 points (6-of-12, 50.0%) as the Tigers' team shooting (33-of-59, 55.9%) made up for their 16 turnovers.

Seven Griffins scored and six reach double-digits in a balanced team effort. DiRugeris' 19 points came on 7-of-11 (63.6%) shooting, including a 3-of-6 (50.0%) success rate from long range. He also record three steals. Jeter finished with 16 points and two blocks. Sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD), sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA), and freshman guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) headlined the Griffins' second-half offense. Cook totaled 15 points and five assists, Comas posted ten points and 11 rebounds, and Ashe supplied 12 points and four assists. Cook also led the Griffins' defensive effort with four steals and a block.

The men's basketball team travels to Felician College as they continue their CACC schedule with a 3:00 p.m. contest on Saturday, February 6.

 CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 87, HOLY FAMILY 83

HOLY FAMILY (1-19, 1-9 CACC)
SWIDOWSKI, Justin 15-18 2-2 32; HANKINS, Khiry 9-14 2-2 23; CREWS, Rickie 6-12 4-5 16; MUSHMAN, Sam 2-4 1-1 5; PAPION, Taylor 0-1 4-4 4; TRAORE, Ismaila 1-8 1-2 3; BADEEN, Ben 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 33-59 14-16 83.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (10-10, 6-5 CACC)
DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 7-11 2-2 19; JETER, Larz 4-12 8-10 16; COOK, Ryan 6-10 2-2 15; ASHE, Francis 6-9 0-1 12; DAVIDHEISER, Trenton 5-7 0-0 10; COMAS, Dan 4-14 2-6 10; PERRY, Mike Jr. 2-5 0-1 5; RIVERS, Andre 0-1 0-0 0; McFADDEN, Julian 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 34-72 14-22 87

Points by Half                             1        2       F
Holy Family University              30      53     83
Chestnut Hill College                40      47     87

3-point goals--Holy Family 3-9 (HANKINS, Khiry 3-5; CREWS, Rickie 0-1; MUSHMAN, Sam 0-1; PAPION, Taylor 0-1; SWIDOWSKI, Justin 0-1), Chestnut Hill College 5-18 (DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 3-6; PERRY, Mike Jr. 1-3; COOK, Ryan 1-3; McFADDEN, Julian 0-1; ASHE, Francis 0-1; JETER, Larz 0-4). Fouled out—Holy Family-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. Rebounds--Holy Family 34 (SWIDOWSKI, Justin 12), Chestnut Hill College 35 (COMAS, Dan 11). Assists--Holy Family 18 (PAPION, Taylor 7), Chestnut Hill College 19 (COOK, Ryan 5). Total fouls--Holy Family 16, Chestnut Hill College 14. Technical fouls--Holy Family-TEAM 2, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-149