The Chestnut Hill College Men's Basketball team took on a tough Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Bloomfield College Saturday afternoon in a back and forth contest until the Bears pulled away late to record a 71-61 win at Sorgenti Arena.

The loss drops the Griffins record to 6-7 in CACC games and 7-18 overall.  The Bears improved to 17-7 overall and a 9-4 mark in conference games, maintaining first place in the CACC North Division.

Three players reached double figures for the Griffins, led by Noah Charles' 16 points.  Donald-James Imo came off the bench to score 13 points (5-10 FG) and Argel Pettit IV added ten.  Neal Hill had a game-high 16 rebounds and added eight points while Alejandro Redondo Cybak also scored eight points and grabbed six boards.  Charles led the team with five assists while Hill added four.

The game saw nine ties and 15 lead changes as both teams fought for control.   Chestnut Hill held a two-point lead at the half 35-33 before the Bears scored the first five points of the second half to retake the lead, 38-35.  Kamal Lee's three point basket started a 10-2 run to give Chestnut Hill a 45-40 lead just five minutes into the final period.

The lead changed hands four more times over the next seven minutes with the Griffins retaking the lead and opening a four point advantage at the 8:34 mark following five straight points from Imo, 54-50.  CHC still led by four 56-52 with 6:22 left when their offense suddenly went cold, and the team struggled to score a basket.

The Griffins made just two field goals the rest of the game with Cybak's three point field goal with 3:36 left their last, breaking a 58-58 tie and giving Chestnut Hill a 61-58 lead.  The Bears closed out the game with 13 straight points, including seven straight free throws to earn the ten point win. 

For the game, Chestnut Hill shot 34.9% (22-63) from the field – a 12-for-27 effort in the first half (44.4%) contrasted by a 10-for-36 effort (27.8%) mark in the second as the offense sputtered in the final seven minutes of play.  Bloomfield shot 47.7% for the game (28-60).  The Bears outscored the Griffins in the paint 32-20 while the Griffins outscored the Bears 24-9 from three-point range, making eight of 30 three point shots. (BC 3-10).  BC also outrebounded CHC 39-35.

The men's basketball team will return to action on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, when they host Goldey-Beacom College.  Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.