Box Score Philadelphia, Pa. - (12/17/2014) – The Chestnut Hill College men's basketball team found itself in a nip-and-tuck, back-and-forth scrum with visiting Goldey-Beacom College tonight in a matchup of two former Philadelphia University teammates in Griffins head coach Jesse Balcer and Lightning counterpart Chuck Hammond. After leading by just one, 57-56, with 7:05 to play, the Griffins turned to their defense to gain the upper hand, holding Goldey-Beacom scoreless for more than four minutes and turning the tide with an 11-0 run before settling on a 75-68 triumph inside Sorgenti Arena. Senior guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) went 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the charity stripe on the way to a game-high 25 points to lead the Griffin effort.
 
Chestnut Hill College (3-6, 2-2) led by six on two occasions in the first half, only for Goldey-Beacom College (3-8, 1-3) to stay within three, 39-36, at intermission before taking a pair of leads early in the second half, the last at 45-43 with 16:01 remaining. The teams traded three ties, the final one at 52-52 with 9:24 to play, before the Griffins gradually gained some breathing room. Junior guard Luke Dickson (Pitman, N.J.) buried a three-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions to up the spread to 57-52 (8:19), but Goldey-Beacom College responded with the next four points to close to within 57-56. That's when the Griffins made their move, scoring the next 11 points to take control.
 
First, sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.) drove the lane for an easy basket, 59-56 (6:45). After three free throws by Walck and one by junior swingman Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.), 63-56 (3:57), senior center Seamus Radtke (Philadelphia, Pa.) canned a baseline jumper to make it 65-56 with 3:27 to play. After a Lightning turnover, Cassidy drained a deep trifecta to stretch the lead to double digits, 68-56, with 2:50 left. Chestnut Hill College led by as many as 13 (74-61) on a pair of free throws by freshman guard Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.) with 27 ticks remaining before the Lightning made a small push, with a three-pointer by senior guard Kyle Steinbergin (Englewood, N.J.) just before the horn providing the final tally, 75-68. During its game-sealing surge, Chestnut Hill College forced six consecutive empty possessions by the Lightning, the last four ending with turnovers.
 
Senior forward Derrick Archie (Wilmington, Del.) drove the Lightning machine with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-8 (87.5%) shooting from the field. He added 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. Archie was joined in double figures by three teammates; Steinbergin, 15 points, senior center Chris Gebhart (Cherry Hill, N.J.), 14 points, and senior guard Joey Getz (Philadelphia, Pa.), 12 points. Getz also notched five rebounds and five assists.
 
Walck finished with 20 or more points for the third time in four games, and complemented his 25-point outburst with three assists and three steals. Dickson offered 12 points, four assists, and three steals, while Radtke netted 11 points on 5-of-8 (62.5%) shooting with five rebounds. Senior center Filip Sekulic (Danilovgrad, Montenegro) produced nine first-half points, and Isaac made all four of his free throws to post a six-point night in addition to two assists and a pair of steals.
 
Despite being outshot by the Lightning from the field (27-of-56, 48.2% to 24-of-54, 44.4%) and three-point line (8-of-16, 50% to 6-of-20, 30%), the Griffins emerged victorious by forcing turnovers and getting to the foul line. Chestnut Hill College hounded the Goldey-Beacom College guards relentlessly on the perimeter, forcing four players into four-turnover nights as the visitors coughed it up 21 times to just 11 for the home side. The Griffins, meanwhile, were 21-of-27 (77.8%) at the charity stripe, while the Lightning managed only eight attempts (6-of-8, 75%).
 
Chestnut Hill College is back in action on Friday, December 19, when the Griffins welcome American International College to Sorgenti Arena for a 12:00 p.m. non-conference tilt.