PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –  Graduate forward Derrick Thomas II dropped a new career-high 20 points for Post University Men's Basketball in their Tuesday afternoon conference opener at Chestnut Hill College, but the Eagles squandered a late seven-point lead in the second half, eventually falling in overtime to the Griffins, 70-66. The loss was the fourth in a row for the Eagles after starting the season with a victory against Southern Connecticut State University.

THE BASICS

Post University 66, Chestnut Hill College 70 (OT)

Post University (1-4, 0-1 CACC)

Chestnut Hill College (2-4, 1-0 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was not the start to the game that Post would have hoped for as senior center Alejandro Redondo Cybak scored or assisted his team on a game-starting 5-0 run that gave the Griffins the lead less than two minutes in. Despite trailing by as many as nine points and never leading in the opening 20 minutes, the Eagles would keep things within reach, heading into halftime tied at 28.

After trailing 24-15 with 8:15 left in the first half, Thomas II's three, followed by a layup from freshman guard Camden Burns about 30 seconds later, would be the last two baskets for nearly four minutes. That would be when graduate guard Cape Holden knocked down a three with 3:49 to go, breaking the scoreless streak, and sparking a 7-0 run for Post over the next two minutes.

Thomas II led the Eagles with nine points, including the game-tying three with a minute left in the first half, hitting all three of his shots from long range. Of their nine total field goals, six of them for Post came from three-point land as part of a 6-for-11 (54.5%) shooting half from beyond the arc. Chestnut Hill's freshman guard Jeremiah Gorham also led the way for his team with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting, as the Griffins shot 48% from the field, going 12-for-25 overall with three shots made from three-point range.

28 points would be exactly what each team scored in the second half as well, with Chestnut Hill leading 33-32 with 17:01 remaining in regulation, before Post's 10-0 run over the next five minutes gave them a nine-point lead, 42-33. The largest lead of the game for the Eagles would come a short time later when junior guard Tre Duncan nailed a three with 11:28 to go, making it a 10-point game nearing the halfway mark of the second half. Still leading by seven with 4 1/2 minutes to go following a three-ball from junior guard Ta'Quan Williams, Chestnut Hill would make its run back into the affair, inevitably forcing overtime, and going on to win. 

After Thomas II drained his only three of the second half, making it a four-point lead with 2:16 left, Gorham would head to the line for two shots with 48 seconds to go after being fouled by Thomas II, cutting the deficit down to two, before Cybak stole the ensuing possession away from the Eagles and hit the game-tying jumper with 11 seconds remaining. Thomas II would miss his go-ahead three attempt before freshman guard Amari Dow's heave from half court nearly fell in, which was a 56-56 tie heading into the five-minute overtime.

Post would only lead once in the overtime frame after a Thomas II made it 59-58 following Cybak's layup to start the extra session. From there, the Griffins embarked on a 9-0 run, expanding their lead to eight points with just over a minute left. Despite their best efforts in making it a two-point deficit following a couple of forced turnovers, Dow would seal the game from the free throw line with five seconds left, giving Chestnut Hill the come-from-behind overtime win, 70-66.

BY THE NUMBERS 

• Derrick Thomas II recorded a career-high 20 points for Post University, shooting 50% from the floor overall and 71.4% from three-point range -- Thomas II is now shooting 47.6% overall this season and 50% from three
• Play 40 of a possible 45 minutes, Jeremiah Gorham tied with Landon Shivers, who played 25 minutes off the bench for Chestnut Hill College, for the most points among Griffin players, with 15 points
• Post University is off to its first 1-4 start since the 2018-19 season, when it began the year 1-5, which included four non-conference losses
• This is the first time this season in which Post University has been tied at halftime, keeping their record at 0-3 when trailing at halftime, remaining 1-0 when leading, and now being 0-1 when tied at the half

WHO'S NEXT
Post University plays its first home game of the season this Sunday at 3:00 PM against Southern New Hampshire University.  The Eagles have lost 12 of 13 head-to-head matchups in the all-time series, including each of the last three over the past two seasons.