Box Score Philadelphia, Pa. - (1/16/2016) – In their final contest before the start of the spring semester, Chestnut Hill College traveled down the 76 for an afternoon Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest at the University of the Sciences (USciences). The Griffins managed a 37-35 halftime lead, overcoming seven turnovers and the Devils' free throw advantage (19-of-24, .792) behind 11 bench points from freshman guard Liban Awl (Manassas, Va.). Unfortunately, USciences outplayed the Griffins in the second half senior forward Wes Kerr (Avalon, N.J.) catching fire from long range (4-of-6, .667) while sophomore forward Will Gregorits (Burke, Va.) and senior guard Sho Da-Silva (Moorestown, N.J.) controlled the Devil offense with a pair of double-double efforts.
 
USciences (11-5, 8-1) owned the early advantage, riding the versatility of Gregorits and the hustle of DeSilva to a seven-point lead, 18-11, just before the 11-minute mark (11:13). But a little over a minute later (10:07) the Devils' edge vanished as an Awl three-pointer, an incomplete three-point play by  senior forward Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.), and a connection between freshman forward Antonio Toplyn Jr. (Sicklerville, N.J.) knotted the contest at 18-18. The lead changed hands a few times over the next five minutes and eventually ended up in the Griffins' favor after an Awl-Hightower sequence that put Chestnut Hill College (7-10, 4-5) in the driver's seat, 27-26, with 5:02 left in the opening half. Awl got some help from sophomore guard Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.) down the stretch and kept the Griffins ahead by two points at halftime, 37-35, with the last made basket of the frame (0:10).
 
The Griffins' lead, however, was short-lived as a DeSilva layup and an awakening of Kerr spirited the Devils on a 19-7 run that delivered the home team a 54-44 lead with 11:41 remaining in the game. The deficit grew to 13 points, 62-49, as play approached the seven-minute mark (7:16), forcing the Griffins into desperation. A Hightower layup brought the margin back to single digits, 66-57, with 4:22 still to play, but the renaissance play of Gregorits and the athleticism of Desilva was too much to surmount as the Devils endured for an 11-point, 77-66, league victory.

Kerr's 24 points led the Devils in scoring, but it was the combined double-double efforts of Gregorits and DeSilva that carried the torch for the Devils. Kerr was 8-of-11 (.727) from the floor, 4-of-6 (.667) from three, and 4-of-5 (.800) from the free throw line while also recording a rebound, three assists, and a steal. Gregorits totaled 19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and a steal while DeSilva offered 22 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, four blocks, and two steals.
 
Senior guard Luke Dickson (Pitman, N.J.) led Chestnut Hill College with 16 points, leaving him four points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career. He also grabbed four rebounds and offered five assists while recording one steal. Sophomore forward Edward McWade (Wildwood, N.J) finished with 14 points, three rebounds, and an assist, while Awl's offensive production was halted at halftime; he finished with 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Hightower contributed eight points, a team-high 10 rebounds, two assists, a block, and two steals.
 
Chestnut Hill College continues their CACC schedule next Saturday, January 23, when they visit Bloomfield College for a 3:00 p.m. contest.