Two last second shots would not drop as the Chestnut Hill college Men's Basketball team's comeback effort fell short as Wilmington University eked out a 70-68-win Saturday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena.

The loss, Chestnut Hill's fourth straight, drops the Griffins' record to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in Central Atlantic Collegiate conference games.  The wildcats improve to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in league games.

Trevonn Pitts came off the bench to lead five players in double figures for the Griffins, connecting on seven of 12 shots from the field for 14 points.  Nigel Haughton added 13 points while filling his stat line with seven rebounds and five assists.  Conor Regan recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  Noah Charles and Neal Hill also had 12 points apiece.  Charles finished with four assists and a block while Hill grabbed five rebounds

The Griffins nearly overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to pull within one twice in the final three minutes only to have the Wildcats score on their next immediate possession. Charles made two free throws to make the 63-62 with 2:44 left and the Wildcats answered with a three-point basket to go back up by four.  Two more Wilmington free throws gave the wildcats a 68-62 lead with 1:41 left.  Regan then took over, making a three-point bucket 20 seconds later to pull the Griffins within three 68-65.  Chestnut Hill then forced a shot-clock violation with 22 seconds left. Regan then followed with a put back after Haughton missed a three-ball in an attempt to tie the game making the score 68-67 with 9.8 seconds left.  A quick foul followed and the Wildcats added two more free throws to lead by three with 8.2 seconds left, 70-67.  Haughton was fouled with 2.8 seconds left, made the first free throw and deliberately missed the second, grabbed his own rebound and launched a three-point shot from the corner.  Regan grabbed the short shot and attempted a layup which rolled out as the buzzer sounded, giving the Wildcats the 70-68 win.

An 8-2 run by the Griffins to open the second half had whittled the Wildcats big lead to single digits, 42-33 just under three minutes into the half.  Wilmington again increased the lead to double digits and still led by ten when a 6-2 mini-run by the Griffins made the score 53-47 midway through the period.   The Wildcats still led by nine, 56-47 before Haughton took two trips to the foul line, making four free throws to pull the Griffins within five 56-51 with 8:45 left.  The Griffins would pull no closer until Charles' layup and a three-ball from Regan closed the gap to 63-60 with 3:11 left, setting the stage for the final comeback effort.    

Wilmington built their built lead on the strength of 17 first half points from Justin Thomas (7-7 FG, 3-3 3FG).  The Wildcats as a team shot 57.1% (16-28) from the field and six of 13 from beyond the arc in the opening period.  The Griffins meanwhile shot just 32.3% from the field and struggled mightily from beyond the arc (2-12, 16.7%) and the free throw line, missing their first seven free throw attempts before making their last three.  Wilmington led 40-25 at halftime.

The Griffins' defense held Thomas to just one basket in the second half and he finished with a game high 19 points.  Randy Rickards added 14 points (10 in second half) and led the team with eight rebounds.  Caleb Matthews came off the bench to score ten points, including the game-winning free throws with 8.2 seconds left.

For the game, the Wildcats shot 54% (27-50) while the Griffins made 26 of 64 shots (40.6%).  CHC however, made just four of 25 three-point attempts (16%) to WU's seven-for-21 (33.3%).   The Griffins held a 37-33 rebounding edge which included a big 17-5 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to a 13-4 advantage in the second chance points category.
 
The Chestnut Hill college Men's Basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 when they travel to Dobbs Ferry, New York to take on Mercy College in a non-conference regional clash.  Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.