A second half rally fell short as Bloomfield College snapped the Chestnut Hill College Men's Basketball team's three game win streak with an 83 -71 victory at the Bloomfield College Gym in Bloomfield, New Jersey on Saturday.
The Griffins fall to 7-9 overall and 3-3 in Central Atlantic collegiate Conference games with the loss. Bloomfield improves to 11-5 overall and 4-2 in league play with the win.
Tommy Gardler led four Chestnut Hill players in double figures with 17 points (7-14 FG, with 3 3pt. FG). Noah Charles added 14 points while Kamal Lee chipped in 12 (4-7 3FG). IV Pettit rounded out the double figure scorers with 11 points.
Neal Hill led all player with 14 rebounds and eight assists while a trio of Griffins (Alejandro Redondo Cybak, Landon Shivers and Gardler) had six rebounds apiece.
Leading by just two at halftime, Bloomfield outscored Chestnut Hill 28-11 in the firs ten minutes of the second half to take a 19-point lead 66-47. The Griffins began to chip away, cutting the lead to 13 following five straight points from Gardler, 73-60 with five minutes remaining. After a basket by BC's Edward Ngene, Lee sand back-to-back three point baskets to cut the lead to single digits 75-66 with 2:16 left. The Griffins would come no closer as Bloomfield extended their lead via free throws, making six straight to go back p by 15, 81-66 with just under a minute remaining.  A layup from Gardler and a final three-ball from Lee made the final margin 12 points, 83-71.
In the first half, Bloomfield jumped out to an early 9-3 lead and expanded it to nine points 26-17 with 9:36 left in the period. The Griffins then followed with a 14-6 run to pull within one 32-31. Gardler highlighted the run with eight points (two 'threes'). Pettit's three ball with 2:40 left later tied the score at 36-36 before Izaiah Poole put Bloomfield back on top 38-36 with a layup with 1:40 left. Neither team scored for the reminder of the period and the score remained 38-36 at halftime.
Etan Maynard led the Bears with 19 points while Starrell Hearns had 18. Edward Ngene recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. He also added four blocks
For the game, the Griffins connected on just 24 of 78 shots from the field (30.8%) while the Bears shot a solid 47.1% (33-70). CHC did make two more three point baskets (11-9) and shot 12-15 from the free throw line (BC: 8-12). The Griffins also had a 47-43 rebound advantage.
The men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 when they travel to face crosstown division rival Jefferson University. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.
