Albany, N.Y. - (11/9/2019) – Chestnut Hill College opened their 2019-2020 season this evening at the College of St. Rose Tip-off Tournament with a high-scoring 98-87 loss to the hosting Golden Knights. The Griffins led the Golden Knights by a point, 44-43, at halftime thanks to a perfect first half from sophomore guard James Rider IV (Baltimore, Md.) (6-of-6 FG, 3-of-3 3PT; 15 points). Unfortunately, the College of St. Rose was able to hit the extra shots they needed to make a comeback as a 21-of-38 (.553) shooting performance and an 8-of-10 (.800) effort at the free throw line to forge ahead in the latter minutes of the second half. Rider finished with 21 points in his Scarlet and Gold debut, but fellow transfer, junior forward Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa.) led Chestnut Hill College with a double-double performance of 24 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The College of St. Rose (1-0) led off the opening tip, but a Rider layup gave Chestnut Hill College (0-1) the advantage, 8-7, just before the 16-minute mark (16:13). From there, play remained tight until a pair of free throws from sophomore forward Amir Warrick (Washington, DC) (26-21, 8:49) and a three pointer from freshman guard Conor Regan (Mullica Hill, N.J.) gave the Griffins an eight-point lead, 29-21, with 8:18 remaining in the first half. Unfortunately, the Golden Knights responded with an 8-0 run that tied the affair at 29-29 just before the six-minute mark (6:01). Afterwards the Scarlet and Gold continued to pace the College of St. Rose, owning a narrow 44-43 halftime advantage thanks to a Rider three with at the buzzer.
 
After intermission, the opponents went blow-for-blow until the College of St. Rose capitalized on a pair of missed three pointers around the seven-minute mark. The Griffins fell behind by eight points, 80-72, with 6:17 remaining in the frame. The difference reached double digits, 84-74, with 4:54 to go and briefly reduced to five points, 86-81, on a jumper from freshman guard Scottie Spann Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.) two minutes later (2:51), but the Golden Knights hit the shots they needed down the stretch to complete an 11-point, 98-87, win at the free throw line.
 
Four Golden Knights finished in double figures; chief among them was sophomore forward Sekou Sylla (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with a team-high 34 points in excess of 14 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Freshman guard Cartier Bowman (Trenton, N.J.) also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also provided three assists and a steal. Junior guard Adam Anderson (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) finished with 22 points, an assist, a block, and a steal, while sophomore guard Tyler Washington (Englewood, N.J.) totaled 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
 
Barrett was 9-of-14 (.643) from the floor and 6-of-7 (.857) from the free throw line in his 24-point performance. He also recorded three assists and two blocks in his Scarlet and Gold debut. Regan and Spann also joined Barrett and Rider in double figures. Regan was 4-of-8 (.500) from three point range and recorded 14 points, two rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and a steal in his collegiate debut. Meanwhile, Spann totaled 10 points, five rebounds, and assist in his.
 
Chestnut Hill College continues their play at the College of St. Rose Tip-Off Tournament tomorrow, Sunday, November 10, with a 1:00 p.m. contest against Le Moyne College.