Box Score New Castle, Del. – (12/4/2012) – Chestnut Hill College faced their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) South Division opponent this evening as the Griffins visited Wilmington University for the first of two league matchups. The Wildcats came away victorious, 74-66, after leading the Griffins through a majority of the closely played affair. Senior guard Mark DiRugeris Jr. (Woodbury, N.J.) and sophomore center Seamus Radtke (Philadelphia, Pa.) headlined the Griffin effort, DiRugeris with 19 points and Radtke with a second straight double-double.
 
Neither side led by more the five points in a first half that left Wilmington University (1-7, 1-2) ahead by that margin, 34-29. Chestnut Hill College (3-4, 0-1) briefly led the Wildcats after a DiRugeris free throw with 3:48 to play in the opening period, 29-28, but the Griffins could not build on their advantage as the home team closed the frame on a 6-0 run behind the combined play of senior guard Isiah Mason (Philadelphia, Pa.). The Wildcat lead grew to as many as nine, 59-50, heading to the stretch run (6:31) only to shrink back to two, 66-64, on a DiRugeris three-pointer just before the two minute mark (2:04). Unfortunately, time was on the Wildcats side as senior forward Brandon Fox (Deptford, N.J.) scored a key bucket, 68-63 (1:43), before his teammates hit the necessary free throws to put the Griffins away, 74-66.
 
Junior guard Dusan Kojic (Belgrade, Serbia) finished as the Wildcats lead scorer with 20 points, but it was the combined play of Mason, Fox, junior guard Herbert Dennis (Ridgely, Md.), and senior guard James Pee (Newark, Del.) that propelled the Wildcats. Mason totaled 15 points and eight rebounds while Fox offered a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds to go along with his team-leading defense of two blocks and a steal. Dennis contributed 14 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Pee was the fifth Wildcat in double figures with 12 points in addition to his seven rebounds.
 
DiRugeris added six rebounds and an assist to his team-leading scoring performance. He hit 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the field, 4-of-9 (44.4%), and 3-of-3 (100.0%) from the free throw line. Radtke provided another double-double for the Griffins, totaling 14 points and ten rebounds in addition to two assists, a block, and two steals. Senior guard Francis Ashe (Hyattsville, Md.) chipped in with three points, two rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
 
The men's basketball team returns home to host Post University in a 3:00 p.m. CACC contest on Saturday, December 8.