BLOOMFIELD, NJ: The men's basketball team improved to 10-3 on the season and moved their conference record to a perfect 4-0 Saturday afternoon, as they out-dueled the Chestnut Hill College Griffins 99-90 in the Deacons' Den.
The Deacons were able to outlast a strong offensive performance by the Griffins, who saw four of their players reach double figures and the team connect on nine of their 19 three-point tries. But Bloomfield's offensive attack proved to be the better unit on this day, as they equaled the Griffins with four players reaching double figures, and saw several others contribute solid offensive performances. Junior guard
Gage Daye led the way with a game-high 34 points and seven assists, getting his teammates involved while gashing the Griffins from the opening whistle.
Ryan Rodrigues contributed his best shooting performance of his Deacons career in the win, pouring in 18 points and draining four of his six attempts from beyond the arc.
Ahmad Harris contributed 10 points, three assists and three steals in just 14 minutes of play, and
Emery Mitchell posted 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Elias Brantley filled in for Harris in the starting lineup and was extremely effective on the perimeter, draining two of his three three-point tries and registering nine points and six assists in his finest performance of the season.
Jeff Sawyerr was a beast in the paint, pulling down nine rebounds and notching nine points in the win.
The Deacons were able to keep the Griffins a safe distance away for most of the game, their hot shooting helping earn a double-digit 51-41 lead through the first 20 minutes of play. The Griffins were able to keep the game close throughout, never falling behind by more than 14 points and cutting the lead to single digits on several occasions. But Coach Holmes' squad was able to put the game away late from the charity stripe, finishing the second half 18-30 from the free-throw line to preserve the nine-point win.
The team returns to action on January 19 with a home game against conference rival Felician College. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM.
