Philadelphia, PA – (2/1/2011) – The Chestnut Hill College backcourt answered the call in this evening's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest delivering the Griffins to a 66-59 win over the University of the Sciences. Junior Brandon Williams (Philadelphia, PA) and sophomore Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) were relentless in their pursuit of victory, combining for 30 points in leading the Griffins to a season sweep of the Devils.
Solid defense and a balanced attack brought Chestnut Hill College (8-10, 5-5) to a 31-22 halftime advantage over the Devils. The Griffins forced nine first-half turnovers while sharing the ball offensively; DiRugeris led the home team into the locker room with nine points and three assists. Following the break, the Griffins continued to grind away at the visitors owning an 18-point advantage with 7:44 remaining, 54-36, on a pair of free throws from junior center Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA). Unfortunately, the Devils were not done. Freshman guard Tyrone Mann-Barnes (Woodlynne, NJ) spirited a 19-6 run with three, three-point baskets, to cut the deficit to five, 60-55, heading into the final minute of play (1:02). The Devil rally awoke the crowd and threatened the Griffin victory, but all was for not as Williams and junior guard Uros Kovacevic (Kotor, Montenegro) put on the finishing touches from the free throw line.
Junior forward Myer Messinger (Trucksville, PA) led the Devils through a majority of the affair totaling 18 points and 11 rebounds, but Mann-Barnes finished as the team's leading scorer with 20 points. Senior forward Adewale Adefemi (Chesilhurst, NJ) provided 11 points and 11 rebounds after a scoreless first half effort. Sophomore guard William Kernan (Medford, NJ) supplied six assists.
Williams scored 11 second-half points to lead the Griffins with 16 points while DiRugeris finished with 14 points in addition to his four assists. Comas recorded nine points, 11 rebounds, and contributed three blocks to the defensive effort. Sophomore guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) provided an all-encompassing effort with eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and five steals.
The men's basketball team continues the CACC schedule with a trip to Holy Family University for an 8:00 p.m. contest on Thursday, February 3.
