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PHILADELPHIA – A nip-and-tuck season-opening battle went the way of Chestnut Hill on Friday evening as the host Griffins scored a 68-62 victory over the Bloomsburg men's basketball team at Sorgenti Arena.

Bloomsburg (0-1) trailed nearly the entire second half by two possessions or less, but the Griffins (1-0) had an answer each time the Huskies positioned themselves to take control.

Lorenzo Christmas (Norristown/Norristown) finished with 19 points to lead the Huskies while Dontahe Jordan (Williamsport/Williamsport) added 17 points and Wes Lyons (Millville/Millville) gave Bloomsburg a third player in double-figure scoring with 10 points.

After a tight first 30 minutes, Chestnut Hill created some breathing room midway through the second period, stretching its lead to double digits (53-43) for the first time on a 3-pointer from Billy Cassidy with 8:25 to play.

Following a Huskies' timeout, Bloomsburg began to claw its way back following scores from Jordan and Christmas to close to within 53-49.

The Griffins found an answer, though, stretching their lead to 60-53 with 3:16 showing on the clock. Bloomsburg drew to within a bucket at 60-58 following free throws from Jon Riles (Philadelphia/Academy of the New Church) and a long range bomb from Lyons, but the hosts immediately stretched the lead back to two possessions following a long two from Taylor Trevisan.

It would be the closest Bloomsburg would get over the final minutes.

The first 20 minutes saw a series of runs with the Griffins jumping out to the early advantage by scoring the game's first seven points and maintained that edge through the opening portion of the half.

Bloomsburg roared back, though, with an impressive run of its own. The Huskies raced out to a 15-2 burst over a five-minute span to take a 27-20 lead following a 3-pointer from Jordan. The cushion would be short-lived, however, as Chestnut Hill responded by running off the game's next 12 points to take a 32-27 lead into intermission. The home lead remained single digits until Cassidy's 3 at the 8:25 mark.

Filip Sekulic powered the Griffins with a game-high 21 points while Trevisan, a transfer from Division I St. Joseph's, added 19 points and nine rebounds.

The teams were nearly even on the boards – Bloomsburg held a slight 35-34 edge in rebounding, but turnovers proved to be costly. The Griffins forced Bloomsburg into 20 turnovers which resulted in 29 points for the hosts.

Bloomsburg will debut at Nelson Field House in its home opener on Tuesday against Penn State Hazleton. Action is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.