The Chestnut Hill College Men's Basketball team will open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play as they travel to take on Holy Family University Wednesday night.
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The Series:
Wednesday's contest will be the 28th meeting between these two teams. The series dates back to the 2003-04 season and the Tigers have an 18-9 record in games with the Griffins. Chestnut Hill won the last meeting between the two programs, 87-81 on February 26, 2020 at HFU's Campus Center. Chestnut Hill is 2-11 lifetime at the Campus Center.
CACC Opener:
Tonight's game is the conference opener for both teams. Chestnut Hill is 3-3 conference openers since the 2014-15 season. The Griffins have faced Holy Family only once in a CACC opener, defeating the Tigers 77-75 in 2011-12. Overall the Griffins are 5-8 in CACC conference openers since they began full conference play in 2007-08.
About the Griffins:
The Griffins enter tonight's game with an 1-4 record, with their only win coming in their home opener against Bloomsburg University on November 17, their first win against the Huskies since 2013. Â
First-year Head Coach JJ 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 scorerÂ
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 starterÂ
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. Â
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. ForwardÂ
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 ofÂ
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.  FreshmanÂ
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. Â
Nigel Haughton played the 2019-20 season at Towson University before transferring into Chestnut Hill whileÂ
Noah Charles, a 2020 graduate of Glenelg Country High School should provide additional depth in the backcourt.
Through the first five games of the season, the Griffins are averaging 69.5 points per game while giving up 77.0 points/game. The team is shooting 45.3% from the field, 33.8% from beyond the arc and 63.8% from the free throw line. Opponents hold a slight rebounding edge over the Griffins, 35.2 to 31.3 rebounds/game.
Last time Out
West Chester University used a 16-6 run midway through the second half to break open a close game as they handed the Chestnut Hill College men's Basketball team a 97-80 loss Tuesday night at the Hollinger Field House in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
For the second time this season, a pair of Griffin players scored 20 or more points withÂ
Amir Warrick scoring 23 andÂ
Nigel Haughton adding 22. Warrick also grabbed ten rebounds to notch his first double-double of the season.Â
Conor Regan added ten points to round out the Chestnut Hill double figure scorers. Â
MJ Iraldi dished out a team-high five assists, while Haughton added five steals.
Warrick Named to the CACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
 Amir Warrick has been named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in the Griffins' game at West Chester University last week.
Warrick led the team with 23 points and ten rebounds, recording his first double-double of the season. The junior forward scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half and finished the game shooting 53% from the field, connecting on nine of 17 shots. Warrick also added three assists, three blocks and a steal
Dynamic Duo- Part II
For the second time this season, the Griffins had two players score 20 or more points in a single game. Against West Chester,
Amir Warrick scored a team-high 23 points while
Nigel Haughton added 22. This marks the 15
th time since the 2014-15 season that Chestnut Hill has had at least two players score 20 or more points in a single game.
Iraldi Named to the CACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
MJ Iraldi has been named to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Weekly Honor Roll for his performance in the Griffins two games during the wwek ending November 21, 2021.
Iraldi opened the week scoring 21 points as the Griffins won their home opener and first game of the season, defeating Bloomsburg University 76-69. He connected on eight of 14 shots from the field and was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. The freshman guard/small forward added 16 points on Saturday in a loss at Lock Haven University. Iraldi also grabbed eight rebounds in the contest. For the week, Iraldi scored 37 points on 13-27 (48.1%) shooting from the field and made 10 of 12 free throws. He grabbed a total of 11 rebounds, had two assists and two steals and one block.Â
First Win
Chestnut Hill Head Coach J.J. Butler earned his first win as a head coach last Wednesday night as his Griffins defeated Bloomsburg University 76-69. Two newcomers
MJ Iraldi and
Nigel Haughton were the catalysts for the Griffins as was
David Erebor on defense. Iraldi and Haughton combined for 41 points while Erebor had four blocks and eight rebounds while also contributing 11 points.
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), Trevon Pitts (20), and James Rider (20) all reached the 20-point mark. Â
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. Â
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 for November 15, 2021 which was announced via social media last Wednesday and awarded to Manny Toha of Holy Family. Â He was also under consideration among 15 area players for the honor the following week (November 22, 2021).Â
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 Tigers
The Tigers have lost their last two games, both at home, falling to West Chester University 74-69 and Lock Haven University 67-64. These two schools were also the Griffins last two opponents. Â
Holy Family has four players averaging double figures, led by Kharon Randolph's 14.5 points per game. Rick'keem Mixson leads the team averaging 5.8 per game.
The Tigers are averaging 69.8 points/game (9
th in the CACC) while allowing 72.2 points/game (5
th in the CACC). Holy Family is shooting 36.2% from the field and 61.8% from the free throw line (2
nd in the CACC). Rebound wise, the Tigers have the third highest average in the CACC at 39.8 per game while allowing 46.2 rebounds per game.Â
Last Time Out for Holy Family
 The Holy Family University men's basketball team closed out the month of November with a setback against West Chester University in a non-conference contest as the Golden Rams came away with a 74-69 victory on Sunday afternoon at the Campus Center Gymnasium.
West Chester used an 8-0 run over the final 2:26 to rally to defeat the Tigers late. Robert Smith drained a three-pointer to tie the game at 69-69. On West Chester's next possession, Jamil Manigo grabbed a key offensive board and scored a tip-in basket to make the score 71-69 with 1:24 remaining. Another offensive board on the Golden Ram's following possession led to a pair of free throws by Matt Dade to increase the lead to 73-69 with :24 seconds left on the clock.Â
David Robinson Jr. and Kharon Randolph scored 20 points apiece to lead the Tigers.
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