Box Score Orangeburg, N.Y. - (1/31/2015) – Despite a career day from senior center Seamus Radtke (Philadelphia, Pa.) and a superior performance on the glass (41-33), Chestnut Hill College saw its losing streak reach five games as host Dominican College (NY) shot 53.6% (30-of-56) from the field to eke out an 86-81 victory in this afternoon's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) shootout. Radtke lit up the scoreboard for a career-high 23 points and paired it with 11 rebounds for his first double-double and the sixth of his career, but it ultimately was not enough to keep the Griffins from losing for the ninth time in 10 games and falling further behind in the CACC playoff chase.
 
Chestnut Hill College (4-15, 3-9) trailed by as many as 12 in the first half after Dominican College (9-11, 9-4) sophomore guard John Decker went on a deep barrage, hitting 3-pointers on three straight possessions to give the home side a 30-18 advantage at the 7:42 mark. Undeterred, the Griffins stayed within striking distance, closing the half strong with six straight points from sophomore guard Billy Cassidy (Primos, Pa.), who connected on a triple and then hit three free throws in the final seconds of the period to cut the deficit to 44-39 at intermission.
 
The Griffins continued their spirited rally out of the locker room, starting the second half on a 7-0 run. Freshman guard Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted back-to-back baskets, senior center Filip Sekulic (Danilovgrad, Montenegro) buried a trey, and junior forward Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.) scored on a feed from junior guard Luke Dickson (Pitman, N.J.) to put Chestnut Hill College in front, 48-44, with 17:45 remaining. The Chargers quickly pulled even, 48-48, and the contest was knotted up again after senior guard Christian Walck (Lancaster, Pa.) tied it at 54-54 with a layup at 12:24. Dominican College gained some separation at 63-56 (10:31), but the Griffins brought all things even once more on a 3-pointer by Walck, 65-65, with 6:58 to play.
 
Dominican College made its stand there, scoring the next nine points and taking a double-digit lead, 76-66, on two free throws by senior center Nick Smith (Middletown, N.Y.), at 3:49. Trailing 81-71 with just 1:54 left, Chestnut Hill College twice got as close as three, their final push coming when Hightower made two at the line to make it 84-81 with 18 ticks remaining. The Chargers, however, made two clutch free throws to put the clamps on the Griffins chances.
 
Smith coupled nine rebounds with a game-high 24 points for Dominican College, which got 17 points apiece from Decker and senior guard Robert Hueston (Middletown, N.Y.).
 
Radtke was 9-of-19 from the field and 5-of-7 from the stripe for the Griffins. He grabbed six of Chestnut Hill College's 16 offensive boards and also blocked a shot. Walck just missed a double-double of his own with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Cassidy poured in 19 points by going 4-of-6 from the three-point line and a perfect 7-of-7 at the line. Hightower had six rebounds and a season-high 10 points.
 
Saturday's loss, combined with a victory by Wilmington University (Del.), leaves the Griffins 2.5 games back of the Wildcats for the fourth and final playoff spot from the CACC South Division. Chestnut Hill College will try to get back on track when the Griffins host cross-town rival University of the Sciences on Wednesday, February 4, at 8:00 p.m.