Box Score Wilmington, Del. - (12/3/2014) – Mentor faced off with protégé tonight as Head Coach Jesse Balcer and Chestnut Hill College matched wits with Wilmington University and first-year Head Coach Dan Burke '08, a Griffin men's basketball alumnus and former assistant under Balcer. While the student watched his Wildcat charges erase nearly all of a 19-point Chestnut Hill College lead, it was the master who had the last word as the visitors closed on a 17-7 run to capture an 85-73 victory in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opener. Senior guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) led the way with a career-high 26 points on 6-of-8 (75.0%) shooting from the field and a 13-of-15 (86.7%) effort from the line.
 
Chestnut Hill College (2-4, 1-0) appeared primed to run away from the host Wildcats and Burke, a member of the inaugural 2003-2004 Chestnut Hill College men's basketball team and a former captain who served on Balcer's coaching staff as an assistant from 2008-2009 through the 2012-2013 campaign. Wilmington University (0-7, 0-2), seeking its first win of the Burke regime, found itself in a big hole after sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.) drained a three-pointer to give the Griffins a 35-16 spread with 3:15 to play in the first half. The advantage grew as large as 21, 55-34, on a long ball by junior guard Luke Dickson (Pitman, N.J.) with 14:02 remaining before the Wildcats clawed back.
 
Wilmington University started the comeback trail with a 17-2 burst that made it 59-55 (8:04), and a layup by senior guard Kevin Ohen (Union, N.J.) pulled the hosts within a bucket, 68-66, at the 4:19 mark. But, Chestnut Hill College responded with the next six points en route to a 16-4 spurt featuring a 12-of-14 (85.7%) showing from the charity stripe to make it 84-70 with just over a minute to play (1:02) and secure their second straight win after a string of nail biters to open the season; none of their first five games were separated by more than five points. The Griffins emerged victorious in their CACC opener for the first time since the 2011-2012 campaign and gained a measure of revenge for last year's season sweep by Wilmington University.
 
Ohen finished just shy of a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds for Burke's Wildcats. He was joined in double figures by sophomore guard Tyaire Ponzo-Meek (Tinton Falls, N.J.), who offered 16 points, while junior guard Shai Henry (Cape May Court House, N.J.) coupled eight points with a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Walck was incredibly efficient for Chestnut Hill College, recording his career-high 26 points on a mere eight shots. His 13 made free throws were one off the single-game program mark, and Walck also contributed three assists and four steals. Senior center Filip Sekulic (Danilovgrad, Montenegro) offered another strong outing with 16 points and seven rebounds after a 19-point, 11-rebound gem against University of the District of Columbia on Saturday, November 29. Sekulic was a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line and added two steals and two blocks to his stat line. Dickson, meanwhile, pulled down a career-best eight rebounds to go with 15 points.
 
The men's basketball team is back on campus for a showdown with preseason CACC North Division favorite Bloomfield College; a 4:00 p.m. tipoff is scheduled for Saturday, December 6.