Box Score Philadelphia, Pa. - (11/29/2014) – Chestnut Hill College continued its string of early-season nail biters in their home opener against University of the District of Columbia (UDC) this afternoon. For the first time this year, the Griffins finished on the right side of a thrilling finish, as two free throws by senior guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) with 5.5 seconds left in overtime provided the clinching points in a 99-97 non-conference victory at Sorgenti Arena. Senior center Filip Sekulic (Danilovgrad, Montenegro) paced six Griffins in double figures with 19 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for his third career double-double, while freshman forward Edward McWade (Wildwood, N.J.) poured in a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 (.778) shooting in the best game of his young stint on the Hill.
 
Behind freshman guard Kory Cooley (Silver Spring, Md.) (career-high 28 points) and senior guard Michael Terry (Philadelphia, Pa.), 24 points, UDC (0-6) overcame a 13-point deficit (72-59) in the final eight minutes of regulation, tying the game for the third time in the final minute, 86-86, on a pair of free throws by Terry with 10 ticks showing on the clock. Chestnut Hill College (1-4) misfired on the ensuing possession, sending the contest to an extra period, where the Griffins led by as many as four, 91-87, on a layup by McWade with 2:48 remaining. UDC rattled off the next five points to go ahead 92-91 (2:10) before freshman guard Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.) put the hosts back in front, 93-92 (2:02). That set off a wild finish featuring the seventh, eighth, and ninth ties of the afternoon, the last after freshman guard Masner Beauplan (East Orange, N.J.) knocked in a pair of clutch foul shots with 14 ticks to play, 97-97. On Chestnut Hill College's final possession, Walck drove the lane and drew a foul before converting the go-ahead free throws, 99-97 (00:05.5), and a last-second layup by Terry went begging as the Griffins collected their first victory of the season.
 
Cooley led all scorers with 28 points (9-of-14 FG, 5-of-8 3FG, 5-of-6 FT) for the Firebirds, while Terry scored seven of his 24 in overtime and also collected nine caroms to finish just shy of a double-double. Senior guard Quasim Jones (Philadelphia, Pa.) added 11 points and a game-high nine assists.
 
Sekulic had 15 points and seven rebounds after intermission for Chestnut Hill College, which shot a season-high 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field and finished with 20 assists, also a season best. The 99 points scored by the Griffins were their most since a 105-99 regulation victory against Goldey-Beacom College on January 15, 2013. In addition to McWade, sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.), 17 points, senior center Seamus Radtke (Philadelphia, Pa.), 16 points, junior guard Luke Dickson (Pitman, N.J.), 11 points, and Walck (11) also reached double figures. Cassidy was the spark the Griffins needed in the first half, coming off the bench to make his first four shots, all three-pointers, and help the home side lead by as much as 19 (36-17) with 3:07 to play in the opening stanza. The sophomore has hit double figures and made at least four three-pointers in every game this season. Dickson (5 rebounds, 4 assists) and Walck (6 rebounds, 4 assists) offered balanced floor games for the Chestnut Hill College backcourt, while Radtke finished 6-of-12 (50%) from the floor to help the frontcourt trio (Radtke, McWade, Sekulic) shoot 20-of-31 (64.5%) from the field and contribute 19 rebounds and three blocks to the Griffin cause.
 
Chestnut Hill College is off until next Wednesday, December 3, when they open up Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play at Wilmington University, coached by former Griffin assistant Dan Burke, at 8:00 p.m.