Philadelphia, PA – (1/11/2011) – Chestnut Hill College jolted the Devils off the opening tip and midway through the first half the Griffins held a 20-6 advantage over the University of the Sciences. The Griffins led by as many as 22, but a persistent Devil effort allowed the home team to stick around until the final minutes. Fortunately, the Griffins made enough shots to hold the rally off as they claimed their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) victory with an 81-74 win.
Consecutive, opening three-point baskets from sophomore guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) set the tone for Chestnut Hill College (3-9, 1-4), who shot their way to a 35-13 advantage. The Devils finally managed to slow the Griffins at the five-minute mark (5:12) as they regrouped defensively and rallied for a 38-24 halftime deficit. After the break, the Griffins regained control and reestablished their lead at 21, 52-31, in the first, five minutes (14:54). But again the Devils slowly worked the lead to five, 72-67, with the reprisal ending on a three-point play from junior forward Myer Messinger (Trucksville, PA). However, with only 1:24 remaining the Griffins made the necessary free throws to seize their first conference triumph.
Senior forward Adewale Adefemi (Chesilhurst, NJ) was the leading performer for the Devils with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Messinger posted a double-double as well with 17 points and 12 rebounds of his own. Freshman forward Patrick Connaghan (Warrington, PA) contributed 11 points while sophomore guard William Kernan (Medford, NJ) and sophomore guard Henry Messinger (Trucksville, PA) scored ten points apiece. Kernan totaled six assists.
A third start for freshman forward Khadim Ndiaye (Long Beach, NY) and a third double-double effort to lead the Griffins. Ndiaye was an efficient 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the floor to add 17 points to a career-high 11 rebounds. Junior guard Uros Kovacevic (Kotor, Montenegro) scored 13 points and DiRugeris finished with 12 points, while junior guard Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, PA) ran the point for ten points and eight assists. Junior center Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) also recorded ten points in addition to eight rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Sophomore guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) helped Comas on defense with three blocks.
The men's basketball team breaks from CACC to host Washington Adventist University in a 6:00 p.m. contest on Monday, January 17.
