Philadelphia, PA – (3/1/2011) – Chestnut Hill College earned their first trip to the
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) semifinals this evening with a 65-54 win at Philadelphia University. Junior guard Uros Kovacevic (Kotor, Montenegro) took command of the affair upon entrance; he missed only one shot in a 27-point performance to lead the Griffins to victory. The Griffins will face Bloomfield College in the semifinal round; the contest is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Holy Family University on Friday, March 4.
Philadelphia University (15-12, 10-7) held a slight lead, 8-7, over Chestnut Hill College (12-15, 8-9) until Kovacevic entered the fray. Kovacevic checked-in at 14:12 and hit a three-point basket; by halftime the Griffins owned a 26-24 advantage and all the energy in the Gallagher Center. The Rams regained control early in the second half, 29-28, but at the 17-minute mark (17:00) Kovacevic went back to work. He scored ten straight points and propelled the Griffins on a 20-9 run, 49-37 (11:23); but the resilient Rams trimmed the deficit to five, 59-54, and forced a Griffin timeout with 39 seconds remaining. Following the huddle, Kovacevic slashed the lane once again and with three free throws from sophomore guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, NJ) the Griffins posted a ten-point victory over the Rams, 64-54.
The Rams were led by junior center Temi Adebayo (Ibadan, Nigeria) and junior forward Corey Francisco (Woodbridge, NJ). Adebayo fell three blocks short of a triple-double with ten points, 11 rebounds, and seven swats. Francisco was the Rams leading scorer with 15 points, while freshman guard Nick Christian (Bensalem, PA) contributed eight points and five assists.
In a career performance, Kovacevic was 9-for-10 (90.0%) from the floor including five (5-for-6, 83.3%) baskets from long range. He also grabbed seven rebounds and made two steals in the process. Junior center Dan Comas (Philadelphia, PA) anchored the effort with 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals; while DiRugeris totaled 11 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Francis Ashe (Greenbelt, MD) offered eight points while also working for five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block.
