Bridie McCann led four players in double figures as the Chestnut Hill College Women's Basketball held off a late run from host Bloomfield College 84-80 Saturday afternoon at the Bloomfield College Gym.
The Griffins improve to 9-9 overall and 5-1 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference games with the win, their third straight. Bloomfield falls to 3-12 overall and 0-6 in league play.
McCann led all players with 27 points (9-15 FG, 7-12 3FG) with her seven three points baskets falling just one shy of equaling the school record. Tiayo Adelekan added 15 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench. Rounding out the Griffins' double-figure scorers were Tikyra Miller (11 points) and Emily Sekerak (ten points)
Bri Rider led all player with 12 points and four assists to go along with eight points. Caleigh Edwards added six rebounds, a steal and a block while McCann added five boards, two assists and a steal.
The Griffins held a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter which was cut to six just 2:29 into the quarter with a 7-3 run. Chestnut Hill came back an expanded the lead to double digits again, taking a 12-point advantage following Sekerak's layup with 4:33 left. McCann's layup with 3:38 left gave the Griffins an 80-70 lead before the Bear's scored six straight points to cut the margin to four 80-76 with a minute remaining. Avery White's layup with 47 seconds left gave CHC an 82-76 lead. Bloomfield then went to the line three times in a forty second span, making four free throws to close within two 82-80. McCann sealed the win with two free throws with eight seconds left, 84-80.
McCann had come out of the gate on fire, making her first four shots as the Griffins jumped out to a 15-9 lead. An 8-2 spurt from the host Bears cut the lead to one 18-17 before Siobhan Boylan sank a three-pointer to put the Griffins back up by four 21-17 late in the quarter. Adelekan's layup made the score 23-20 heading into the next period.
Bloomfield opened the second quarter with an 11-4 run to take a 31-27 lead. McCann's fourth three-pointer of the game capped a 7-2 CHC run that put the Griffins back ahead 34-33 with 4:33 left. The Bears rallied to retake the lead 38-36 before the Griffins scored the final six points of the period to lead 42-38 at halftime.
Miller's short jumper at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter gave the Griffins a double-digit lead 52-42. CHC's lead oscillated between eight and 11 points over the next five minutes before a Tanisha Tucker three-ball brought Bloomfield back within six 60-54 with 1:33 left. Adelekan added a layup and Edwards sank a long-two pointer at the buzzer to give the Griffins a ten-point lead heading into the final period.
For the game, the Griffins connected on 42% of their shots from the field (29-69) while the bears shot 42.6% (26-61). The Bears shot 32 free throws, making 19 (59.4%) while the Griffins were an efficient 16 of 18 (88.9%). CHC also held a 40-34 rebounding advantage and outscored the Bears 17-8 in the second chance points category.
The women'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 6:00 p.m.
