Basketball Spotlight: Griffins Fall as Devils Win Second Straight Thursday, December 29, 2005 By Bob Heller USIP Sports Information Director For the second straight game the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's basketball team defeated the Griffins- this time the Griffins of Chestnut Hill College as hot shooting in the first half provided the entire cushion they needed as they cruised to their second straight win, an 85-67 triumph tonight at the Bobby Morgan Arena. The Devils connected on 18 of 32 shots in the first half (56.3%) as they opened up a 50-24 lead at the break. USP also made their first seven shots from beyond the arc and finished the half making seven of eight. USP also was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the half. Five players reached double figures for the Devils (2-7) led by a trio of players with 15 points: Michael Mullane (Jr., Cherokee HS/Marlton, NJ), Keith Dundas (So., Pennsbury HS/ Morrisville, PA) and William Kurtz (Jr., Shawnee HS/Shamong, NJ). Howard Lanier (So., St. Augustine Prep/ Sicklerville, NJ) added 14 points while Shane Connor (Fr., Pocono Mountain East HS/Canadensis, PA) came off the bench to score 11. Mike Devine had 14 points to lead Chestnut Hill, who fell to 0-8. Steve Tamburo and Dan Burke also added 10 points each. USP started the game with a 2-0 lead on a Chestnut Hill technical foul before the opening tap and led wire-to-wire. The Griffins kept things close in the opening minutes with USP holding a 17-14 lead at the 12:40 mark. The Devils then went on a 25-2 run over the next 7:38 to take a 42-16 lead. Connor started things off with a jumper and followed with a three-pointer. After a missed shot by the visitors, Dundas converted an easy layup off a Mullane pass to give USP a 24-14 lead. The Devils added three-pointers by Mullane and Lanier a pair of free throws by Collin Harrington (Jr., Bishop Eustace HS/Sewell, NJ) and another easy layup by Dundas to boost their lead to 20, 36-16. Three more USP baskets then completed the run. USP boosted their lead to 29, 50-21, their largest of the half in the final minute of the half as Connor made a layup while being fouled and the subsequent free throw to complete the three point play with 32 seconds left. CHC's Burke added a three-pointer to make the halftime score 50-24. USP increased their lead to as much as 31 in the second half, 67-36 before settling in for the 18-point win. The Devils spent much of the half on the foul line, shooting 32 free throws, making 27 to account for all but eight of their second half points. The Griffins also spent some time at the charity stripe in the period, shooting 17 times and making 10 as a total of 33 fouls were called in the period (CHC-19, USP-14). USP finished the game shooting 34-for-39 from the free throw line (87.2%) and 22-46 from the field (47.6%) including 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. Chestnut Hill was 23-for-62 from the field (37.1%) and 12-for-19 from the charity stripe (63.2%). USP held the advantage on the boards 44-24 (Harrington and Eric Cangelosi (Jr., Camden Catholic HS/Haddon Heights, NJ)- 8 each) while Chestnut Hill committed 10 turnovers to the Devils 18 (16 second half). USP will conclude the non-conference portion of their season with a game at Kutztown University of Thursday, January 5, 2005 before returning home on the 7th to face New Jersey Institute of Technology.