A strong surge towards the end of the first half propelled the Caldwell University Men's Basketball team to an 89-78 victory over Chestnut Hill College Saturday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena in Philadelphia.

The Griffins fall to 8-15 overall and 6-10 in Central Atlantic collegiate conference games.  The Cougars improve to 12-12 overall and 10-7 in league games

Amari Dow led the Griffins with 19 points  (8-17 FG).  Jeremiah Gorham and Alejandro Redondo Cybak added 15 points apiece.  Kamal Lee rounded out the Griffins' double figure scorers with 12 points shooting a perfect 4-4 from three point range.  Dow and Cybak recorded double-doubles with ten rebounds apiece.  Dow also had five assists.

The Griffins held an early lead and led by as many as four points 18-14 following a Dow layup at the 12:34 mark of the first half.  Chestnut Hill still led by one, 21-20 when the Cougars went on a 16-7 run to take a 36-28 lead with six minutes left in the half. After both teams exchanged baskets, the Cougars added another run, this one a 13-4 effort, to take a 17-point lead in the final seconds of the half.  Gorham added a basket to close the make the halftime score 51-36. 

In the second half, the Cougars went up by as many as 19 before the Griffins battled back to cut the deficit to single digits 67-58 with 9:50 remaining. Lee started the 20-10 run by the Griffins with a three-point basket while  Dow added nine points and Gorham added six.  Three minutes later, the Griffins were within seven 72-65.  Chestnut Hill would get no closer as the Cougars would again go up by double figures before settling in for the 11-point win.

For the game, both teams shot the ball well with the Cougars shooting 52.5% (31-59  from the field) while the Griffins made 31 of 62-shots(50%).  The Cougars outscored the Griffins 19-8 on the free throw line, making 19 or 29 free throws (65.5%) while the Griffins made 8 of 13 (61.5%).  Chestnut Hill outrebounded Caldwell 38-28 including a 12-6 advantage on the offensive glass, leading to a 17-7 advantage in the second chance points category.  The Cougars did score 22 points off 15 Griffin turnovers while the Griffins scored nine points off six Cougar miscues.

The women's basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, February 17 when they travel to face Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey.  Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m.