The Chestnut Hill College Men's Basketball team will be playing on the road this Saturday as they travel north to take on Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.   The Griffins will be seeking their second win of the season.
 

The Basics
		Chestnut Hill Info (1-2)
Date:	November 20, 2021
		Roster
Opponent:	Lock Haven University	Schedule
		Statistics
Location:	Lock Haven, Pa.
		Lock Haven Info (1-0)
Time:	3:00 p.m.
		Roster
Arena:	Thomas Field House	Schedule
		Statistics
Video:	https://psacsportsdigitalnetwork.com/golhu/
Livestats:	https://www.golhu.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

 
 
The Series:
Wednesday's contest will just the third meeting between Lock Haven and Chestnut Hill.  The series is tied at 1-1 with the Bald Eagles earning a 78-61 win at Sorgenti Arena the last time these two teams met in 2019.  The Griffins earned a neutral site win, 86-76, in their first meeting at Shippensburg University  

About the Griffins:
The Griffins enter tonight's game with an 1-2 record, winning their home opener Wednesday night against Bloomsburg University, their first win against the Huskies since 2013.   The Griffins put three players in double figures led by MJ Iraldi's 21 points.  David Erebor led the team with eight rebounds and four blocks.  The win comes following two tough regional losses to Adelphi University (#6 in D2SIDA region poll) on Saturday and Pace University on Sunday at the East Region Conference Challenge hosted by Pace University.

First-year Head Coach J.J. Butler and the Griffins return a mix of players from their 2019-20 squad that went 6-22 overall while adding several newcomers who should play key roles in their success throughout the season.  Two starters from that 19-20 squad return including leading scorer Trevonn Pitts.  Pitts a 6-2 guard, averaged 14.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game while dishing out 45 assists.

In addition to Pitts, the Griffins return starter Conor Regan, a 6-7 guard who averaged 8.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while recording 43 assists in 23 games played.    James Rider IV also returns in the backcourt.  Rider was a starter early in the 19-20 season, and finished the season as one of the first players off the bench.  Rider averaged 9.6 points and three rebounds per game.  Forward Amir Warrick rounds out the key returnees for the 2021-22 season.  Warrick was the only Griffins player to appear in all 28 games in 2019-20 and was a spot starter, averaging 10.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  He led the team with 54 assists.

Size can be found in the person of David Erebor, one of four key newcomers to Butler's 2021-22 squad.  Erebor a 6-9 center out of Nigeria, played two seasons at Division I Brown University before transferring to Chestnut Hill.   Freshman MJ Iraldi should also be a solid contributor.  At 6-6, Iraldi, a 2020 West Deptford High School graduate, should see action at both the forward and guard positions.

A pair of guards will also be key newcomers for Chestnut Hill.  Nigel Haughton played the 2019-20 season at Towson University before transferring into Chestnut Hill while Noah Charles, a 2020 graduate of Glenelg Country High School should provide additional depth in the backcourt.

Last time Out
Chestnut Hill Head Coach J.J. Butler earned his first collegiate win as a head coach as the Griffins placed four players in double figures defeating Bloomsburg University 76-69 in front of a packed house at Sorgenti Arena in Philadelphia Wednesday night.

The Griffins upped their record to 1-2 with the victory. 

MJ Iraldi led the Griffins with 21 points on 8-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.  Nigel Haughton added 20 points (7-12 FG, 4-4 FT).  Amir Warrick and David Erebor added 11 points apiece.  Warrick also led the team with four assists while Erebor had eight rebounds and four blocks.
 
Dynamic Duo
Chestnut Hill had two players scored 20 or more points in Wednesday night's win over Bloomsburg as MJ Iraldi led the team with 21 points and Nigel Haughton added 20.   This marks just the 14^th time since 2015 that the Griffins had at least two players score 20 or more points in the same game. (a span of 139 games)

The last time this feat occurred was on February 18, 2020 when three members of this year's squad, Amir Warrick (28 points), Trevonn Pitts (20), and James Rider (20) all reached the 20-point mark.   

Haughton Named to CACC Weekly Honor Roll

Nigel Haughton was named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in the Griffins two games last week.

Haughton, in his Chestnut Hill College debut, scored 24 points on 10-12 shooting from the field as the Griffins were narrowly defeated by Adelphi University, 78-74 at the east Region Challenge on Saturday.  The sophomore guard also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

On Sunday, against host of the East Region Challenge, Pace University, Haughton added 12 points and seven rebounds in a 66-61 loss.

For the week, Haughton averaged 18.0 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 56% from the field (14-25); 50% from beyond the arc (3-6) and 62.5% from the free throw line. (5-8).

An Impressive Debut
Freshman MJ Iraldi made eight of 11 shots from the field en route to 19 points in his collegiate debut Saturday against Adelphi.  The following day, Iraldi made seven of 14 shots  including three three-point baskets as he led the Griffins with 17 points in their 66-61 loss at Pace.  Iraldi shot 56% from the field in the two games and 50% from beyond the arc (5-10).  He also grabbed nine rebounds in the two games.  
 
Philadelphia Small College Basketball
Iraldi was one of six area players under consideration for the Philadelphia Small College Basketball Association's Player of the Week honor which was announced via social media on Wednesday and awarded to Manny Toha of Holy Family.  

The Philadelphia Small College Basketball Association (PSCBA) is an organization devoted to the promotion of small college basketball in the Philadelphia area that has been in existence since 1986.  The Player of the Week Award, once only given out at the organization's bi-monthly luncheons has been expanded to a weekly honor in an effort to further promote small college basketball in the area.

An Impressive Debut- Part II
Nigel Haughton made his Chestnut Hill College debut in the Griffins' season opener against Adelphi, scoring 24 points.  The Towson University transfer connected on 10 of 12 shots from the field, including one three-point basket.  Haughton also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three assists and two steals.  He added 12 points and seven rebounds the next day in a 66-61 loss at Pace University

Scouting the Bald Eagles
The Bald Eagles, under the guidance of Mike Nestor are coming off a return trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs and a 12-15 season in 2019-20. That season was highlighted by two upset-wins over ranked opponents, including No. 12 West Chester and No. 24 Shippensburg.  Nestor is now in his tenth season at the helm of the Lock Haven squad.
 
As a team, the Bald Eagles poured in 80.5 points per game in 2019-20, which ranked fifth in the conference. LHU also controlled the glass all year, hauling in 38.7 rebounds per game. That mark put them at fourth in the PSAC for rebounds-per-game.
 
Lock Haven returns key forward Jesse McPherson. Now a senior, McPherson will command the offensive effort for Lock Haven as he led the team in field goal percentage at .546 with 125 field goals made. Back in 2019-20 he was third on the team in points (334), second on the team in blocks with 40 and notched 55 offensive rebounds throughout the campaign.
 
Guard Eli Washington also returns to the court this year for the Bald Eagles. In 2019-20, Washington was second on the team in assists with 63. McPherson and Washington are the lone returning starters from the 2019-20 PSAC tournament team that saw Lock Haven fall in the first round of the PSAC tournament to powerhouse West Chester.
 
Lock Haven was picked seventh in the East Division in the PSAC Pres-Season Men's Basketball Poll

Last Time Out for Lock Haven
The Lock Haven University men's basketball team opened its season with a 75-70 win over visiting Nyack College on Tuesday night.

The Bald Eagles and Warriors were in a close battle throughout the game and Nyack took a slender 37-35 lead into the break. Powered by 60 percent shooting from the field in the second half, the Bald Eagles held the lead for most of the second half and closed out the 75-70 win.

Mark Anthony Fidelis paced all players and racked up 23 points on 9-16 from the field, including three made from beyond the arc. Fidelis also handed out four assists. A total of four Bald Eagles reached double figures in a balanced LHU attack. Eli Washington notched 15 points and four assists and Jesse McPherson added 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. Dymir Montague rounded out the scoring with ten points on 4-6 from the field.