Box Score Lincoln University, Pa. – (11/18/2014) – For the Chestnut Hill College men's basketball team the 2014-2015 season began with tonight contest at The Lincoln University. Making a push in the final minutes of each half, the Griffins found themselves on the wrong side of a 37-33 halftime spread and an eventual 68-66 final. After only providing five points in an efficiently played first half (a combined 25-of-41, 60.9%), senior guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) came off the Griffin bench to finish the evening with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Chestnut Hill College (1-0) trailed The Lincoln University (1-2) from the opening tip, but not by much. Their advantage reached its zenith at seven points, 23-16, with senior center Christopher Brand (Starkville, Miss.) tipping in a carom just after the eight-minute mark (7:54). But, as soon as their lead came it left as Walck and sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.) connected from long range for 11 points in a 13-5 run that brought the Griffins their first lead, 29-28, with 5:51 left in the opening frame. The score then tied three times before the break, the last time at 1:12, 33-33, before a pair of free throws and a jumper from junior guard Daniel Pendleton (Philadelphia, Pa.) left the halftime spread at 37-33, Lions. 

The second half followed a similar path with the Lions remaining up by six points, 59-53, as late as 7:23 before Walck and junior guard Luke Dickson (Pittman, N.J.) sparked a 10-1 run that left the Griffins in the prime position, 63-60. But back-to-back buckets from sophomore guard Joshua Davis (Saginaw, Mich.) quickly erased the three-point advantage and spurred the Lions for a closing 8-3 run.

The Lions balanced team performance was led by 17 points, four assists, and a block from senior guard Kyle Aiken (Randolph, N.J.). Brand finished with 12 points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal, while junior guard Chaz Sharp (Baltimore, Md.) contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.

Walck finished 7-of-13 (.538) from the field and 6-of-7 (.857) from the free throw line in his second highest scoring output of his collegiate career. He also recorded five rebounds and three assists. Dickson finished with 14 points on an efficient 6-of-11 (54.5%) shooting effort, which he paired with two rebounds and two steals. Cassidy hit 4-of-6 (66.7%) from three-point range and ended the evening with 12 points in addition to a rebound and three assists.

The men's basketball team continues their early non-conference schedule with a pair of contests at the Long Island University (LIU) Post's Thanksgiving Classic. The first is a 3:15 p.m. contest against the host Pioneers on Saturday, November 22.