Men’s Basketball drops two close contests at Chatham Tip-Off Classic

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University men's basketball went 0-2 at the Chatham University Tip-Off Classic Friday and Saturday.

The Celtics lost, 84-73, to host Chatham on Friday night and fell, 80-56, to Gwynedd Mercy University Saturday afternoon.

vs. Chatham

Newcomer Galen Waters scored 20 points, including four treys, to lead the Celtics in a close game against the Cougars Friday.

Byron Gaskins tallied 19 points – 15 of which he scored in the second half – pulled down seven rebounds and went 8 for 11 from the foul line.

Newcomer Jimmy Giannetta scored 14 points off the bench, going 4 for 8 from the field and 4 for 4 from line.

The Cougars jumped out to a 7-1 lead to start the game, and the Celtics trailed, 21-12, midway through the first half.

Carlow held Chatham scoreless for over two minutes, and a three-pointer from Isaiah Stein cut the Cougars' lead to six before they would score again.

Back-to-back layups by Gaskins and Waters brought Carlow to within four points of tying the game, but Chatham maintained its advantage through the half.

Giannetta and Griffin Ruhlman both went 2 for 2 at the line to cut Chatham's lead to 35-33 heading into halftime.

The Cougars went ahead by double digits early in the second half, and neither team would score for almost three minutes before a three-pointer and a layup off a fast break gave Chatham an 18-point lead.

Carlow followed with a 10-4 run to gain some traction and bridge the gap to single digits, but the Cougars maintained a steady lead to secure the win.

Luca Robinson scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Cougars.

Carlow shot 47.1 percent from beyond the arc and scored 10 points off 15 Chatham turnovers.

The Cougars outrebounded the Celtics, 46-37, and Carlow scored 25 points off the bench.

vs. Gwynedd Mercy

Carlow led the majority of the first half against the Griffins, but a strong second half allowed Gwynedd Mercy to pull away for the win.

Gaskins and Waters scored 18 and 16 points respectively, while Gavin McLain pulled down 10 boards in the effort. Ruhlman dished out four assists.

The Celtics led, 13-6, early in the game, maintaining a single-digit advantage over the Griffins until a three-pointer tied the score, 17-all.

Neither team would score for the next minute and a half until a Gwynedd Mercy layup broke the stalemate.

Carlow tied the game once again with a layup from Stein a minute later, but a subsequent trey 20 seconds after gave the Griffins a lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the game.

McLain sank two foul shots and a three-pointer by Kane Matthew put Carlow within a point of tying the score, but Gwynedd Mercy took a six-point lead into halftime.

Despite Carlow's best efforts, the Griffins steadily accumulated points throughout the second half to secure their victory.

The Celtics shot 93.8 percent from the foul line but just 27.9 from the field compared to the Griffins' 47.6 percent.

JoHaan Vinson led all scorers with 20 points off the bench, contributing to Gwynedd Mercy's 44 points off the bench compared to Carlow's 10.

The Griffins held a narrow 42-38 margin in rebounds and scored 30 points in the paint to Carlow's 11.

The Celtics travel to Penn State Shenango for a 7:30 p.m. game Nov. 15.