Philadelphia, PA – (2/9/2010) – A half-court buzzer beater knotted Chestnut Hill College with Philadelphia University as regulation expired in this afternoon's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest. Senior guard Julian McFadden (Philadelphia, PA) hit the desperation heave to force overtime, but the Rams replied with a last-second shot of their own as senior forward Malcolm Ingram (Philadelphia, Pa.) closed the extra period with an offensive put-back stealing the victory for the Rams, 94-92.

Chestnut Hill College (10-11, 6-6) made their run in the second half pulling even with Philadelphia University (18-6, 10-1) at 9:10, 62-62. After trailing 43-31 at halftime, a spark from sophomore guard Ryan Cook (Laurel, MD) ignited the fire in the Griffins. Cook was 5-of-9 (55.6%) in the second half inspiring freshman guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) and sophomore forward Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA). DiRugeris scored 16 points in the period to match Cook's total while Comas added eight points and six rebounds. The trio led the Griffins in a tug-o-war with the Rams, as the CACC rivals remained tied, 74-74, five minutes later (4:17). Unfortunately, the hot hand of senior guard Marcus Lemon (Alexandria, Va.) provided the Rams with a five-point cushion, 79-74, heading to the final 2:39. McFadden and fellow captain, graduate forward Larz Jeter (Philadelphia, PA), united another Griffin reprise in the final minutes which concluded with McFadden's buzzer beating shot, 83-83.

McFadden opened the overtime with another three-point basket, but Lemon echoed his statement to keep the score tied, 86-86. Chestnut Hill College struggled from the field (2-of-9, 22.2%) but made up for it at the line hitting 4-of-5 (80.0%) from the charity stripe. A three-point-play from DiRugeris tied the contest, 92-92, with 56 seconds to play. Then, a Ram turnover provided the Griffins with a chance to take their first lead of the afternoon.  But a rushed three-point shot handed the opportunity to Philadelphia University, who needed two chances to escape the Griffins as Ingram's put-back dropped with the final horn.

Senior guard Russell Frederick (Baltimore, Md.) led the Rams with 24 points, seven assists, a block, and two steals. He struggled after halftime, however, shooting 2-of-9 (22.2%) from the floor, 0-of-5 (0.0%) from three-point range, and 5-of-12 (41.7%) at the line, over the final 25 minutes. Lemon's shooting (6-of-9 FG, 4-of-5 3PT) kept the Rams alive, he finished with 20 points and six assists. Ingram was a solid throughout totaling 20 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks.

DiRugeris led Chestnut Hill College with 24 points on 8-of-13 (61.5%) shooting and a 6-of-6 (100.0%) evening at the free throw line. He was joined in double figures by four teammates. Cook finished with 17 points, four rebounds, a block, and three steals. Jeter scored 14 points, McFadden recorded 11 points, as did Comas, who also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The men's basketball team continues their CACC schedule with a trip to the University of the Sciences on Thursday, February 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY 94, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 92 (OT)

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (10-11, 6-6 CACC)
DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 8-13 6-6 24; COOK, Ryan 5-13 4-6 17; JETER, Larz 4-9 6-7 14; McFADDEN, Julian 3-7 2-2 11; COMAS, Dan 4-8 3-4 11; ASHE, Francis 4-5 1-2 9; DAVIDHEISER, Trenton 3-4 0-1 6; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-2 0-0 0; RIVERS, Andre 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 31-63 22-28 92.

PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY (18-6, 10-1 CACC)
FREDERICK, Russell 6-16 9-14 24; INGRAM, Malcolm 8-11 4-6 20; LEMON, Marcus 6-9 4-6 20; CONNOLLY, Jim 4-7 2-2 12; GUNDRY, J.J. 2-4 2-2 6; FRANCISCO, Corey 1-3 4-6 6; DiRUGERIS, Ed 1-1 2-2 4; YOCUM, Mike 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 29-53 27-38 94.

Points by Half                                   1          2          OT       F
Chestnut Hill College                     31        52         9        92
Philadelphia University                  44        39        11       94

3-point goals--Chestnut Hill College 8-20 (McFADDEN, Julian 3-7; COOK, Ryan 3-5; DiRUGERIS, Mark Jr. 2-5; PERRY, Mike Jr. 0-2; RIVERS, Andre 0-1), Philadelphia Univers 9-23 (LEMON, Marcus 4-5; FREDERICK, Russell 3-10; CONNOLLY, Jim 2-5; FRANCISCO, Corey 0-2; INGRAM, Malcolm 0-1). Fouled out--Chestnut Hill College-COMAS, Dan; ASHE, Francis, Philadelphia Univers-None. Rebounds--Chestnut Hill College 31 (COMAS, Dan 7), Philadelphia Univers 34 (INGRAM, Malcolm 11). Assists--Chestnut Hill College 10 (ASHE, Francis 5), Philadelphia Univers 17 (FREDERICK, Russell 7). Total fouls--Chestnut Hill College 29, Philadelphia Univers 19. Technical fouls--Chestnut Hill College-None, Philadelphia Univers-None. A-674