Philadelphia, PA – (1/25/2011) – Chestnut Hill College faced a narrow 36-33 deficit at halftime, but another strong performance from junior center Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) united the Griffins to a 91-78 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) win over Wilmington University. Comas finished with his sixth double-double of the season while six steals, twenty free throws and a 56.3% (18-of-32) shooting in the second half propelled the Griffins to a 58-point closing period.
Comas and sophomore guard Jakeem Bogans (Philadelphia, PA) kept Chestnut Hill College (6-10, 3-5) in the game early, as the Griffins narrowly trailed a well-balanced Wildcat attack to three-point halftime deficit. Scoring came quickly in the second half and when the dust settled Comas and crew owned a ten-point advantage, 64-54, with less than ten minutes remaining (9:25). Wilmington University (6-11, 4-5) trimmed the margin to five, 65-60, by the five-minute mark (5:08), but the Griffins found an answer for every Wildcat assault with sophomore guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) and junior guard Uros Kovacevic (Kotor, Montenegro) splitting 26 second-half points.
Freshman guard Dennis Herbert (Hurlock, MD) and junior forward Matthew King (Phoenixville, PA) scored 17 point apiece to lead the Wildcats. Sophomore forward Robert Owens (Trenton, NJ) finished with, a team-high, eight rebounds and junior forward Corye Payton (Burlington, NJ) provided 12 points off the bench.
The busy hands of junior guard Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, PA) and sophomore guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) combined for six second-half steals helping four Griffins reach double figures. Comas led the way, adding 22 points to his 14 rebounds. He was 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the floor and 6-of-9 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Bogans matched his season-high with 16 points, Kovacevic scored 15 points, and DiRugeris totaled 13 points.
The men's basketball team breaks from their CACC schedule for a trip to Washington Adventist University for a 7:00 p.m. contest on Thursday, January 27.
