Four players scored doubled figures as the Chestnut Hill college Men's Basketball team earned their third consecutive victory, defeating Goldey-Beacom college 70-61 Tuesday night at Sorgenti Arena.
The Griffins improve to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in Central Atlantic collegiate conference games. The Lightning fall to 5-11 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Omari Salvi led all players with 18 points (5-8 FG, 7-8 FT) while Noah Charles added 14 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3FG). IV Pettit and Alejandro Redondo Cybak scored ten points apiece.
Neal Hill led the Griffins with 14 rebounds, his fifth consecutive game with ten or more boards. Hill also led the team with three assists. Charles and Lucas Dunn had two steals apiece. Landon Shivers had two blocks.
A see-saw affair over the first six minutes saw the lead change hands four times with neither team leading by more than three points. After two more lead changes The Griffins then built a nine point lead with a 13-2 run , 25-16, with six minutes left. Tommy Gardler started the uprising with a three-point basket. A tip-in from Shivers and a basket from Salvi later completed the run. CHC still held a nine point lead before the Lightning closed the gap to five with a 5-1 run in the final minute, giving the Griffins a 30-25 lead at halftime.
The Griffins opened the second half with an 11-4 run, highlighted by a Dunn three-ball and a Cybak dunk to lead 41-29 at the 15:26 mark. CHC still led 49-36 when the Lightning exploded for ten straight points, making it a one possession game, 49-46 with 8:13 left. CHC's lead oscillated between two and five points three minutes before a Cybak jumper pushed the lead back up to six 59-53 with 4:22 remaining. The Griffins followed with an 8-4 run with Charles starting the run with a layup and finishing it with two free throws to lead 67-57 with 45 seconds left. GBC would get no closer than seven the rest of the way. Charles added a steal and a fastbreak layup with 21 seconds left to make the final score 71-60.
Shane Taylor led the Lightning with 15 points while Zayon Marsh chipped in 11. David Robinson had a game high 16 rebounds.
For the game, the Griffins had the edge shooting -wise, making 43.65 of their shots (24-55) to the Lightning's 37.7% (23-61). Chestnut Hill had two more three point baskets (6-4) and shot a solid 77.3% (17-22) from the free throw line (GBC: 10-18, 55.6%). Chestnut Hill had a 41-35 rebound advantage with GBC grabbing one more offensive board (11-10) than the Griffins. The Griffins, however, made the most of their second chances, outscoring the Lightning 15-2 in the seconds chance point category. The Griffin bench also outscored the Lightning bench, 32-9. (Salvi's 18 points and Shivers' eight producing the bulk of CHC's bench efforts.
The men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, January 18, 2025, when they travel to face Bloomfield College for a CACC crossover contest in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.
