Ford and Thomas scored eight points apiece during a 25-9 run to open the second half, giving Widener (1-2) a 56-35 cushion with 13:11 left.
Chestnut Hill (0-2) would not go away, using a 14-2 burst to close to 64-58 with 4:57 left. Issac Greer scored seven points in that span and Mike Devine capped it with a four-point play.
But that was the last of the Griffins’ points as the home team poured in the last 17 points. Ford scored six points during that time and Thomas added five.
Widener shot 68 percent (17-of-25) from the field and 7-of-9 from 3-point range in the second half, during which it outscored Chestnut Hill, 50-32. The Griffins shot only 9-of-26 after intermission and 2-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Thomas shot 8-of-13 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds for Widener, which shot 47 percent (26-of-55) overall and gained a 41-28 rebounding edge. Ford scored all of his points in the second half and shot 6-of-9 from the field overall.
Greer poured in 16 points and Shawn Bolling added 10 for the Griffins, who shot 36 percent (19-of-53) overall and only 5-of-13 from 3-point range.
Widener on Saturday opens a four-game road trip at King’s, beginning at 3:00 pm.
Chestnut Hill vs Widener 11/21/06 7:00 pm at Chester, PA At Chester, PA WIDENER 81, CHESTNUT HILL 58 CHESTNUT HILL (0-2) Greer, Issac 6-13 2-4 16; Bolling, Shawn 2-8 6-6 10; Devine, Mike 3-7 2-4 9; McFadden, Julian 3-7 0-0 8; Goode, David 2-4 3-4 7; Rebstock, L.B. 2-6 2-2 6; Tamburo, Steve 1-2 0-0 2; Little, Sam 0-0 0-2 0; Grubisic, Antonio 0-2 0-2 0; Kamdem, Yvan 0-0 0-0 0; Burke, Dan 0-0 0-0 0; Murphy, Bill 0-2 0-0 0; Durante, John 0-1 0-0 0; Magnum, Tom 0-0 0-1 0; Lennon, Bryant 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-53 15-25 58. WIDENER (1-2) Thomas, Malcolm 8-13 8-8 28; Ford, Essien 6-9 4-4 18; Douglas, David 3-7 2-2 8; Miller, Nyere 1-5 4-5 7; Haas, Wyatt 2-3 1-2 6; Smith, Terry 3-6 0-0 6; Sosna, Matt 2-4 0-1 4; Edmunds, Bobby 1-3 0-0 2; Jones, James 0-1 2-2 2; O'Connor, Brian 0-0 0-0 0; Kirby, Patrick 0-1 0-0 0; Stewart, Craig 0-2 0-0 0; Jones, Tracy 0-0 0-0 0; Johnson, Jamarr 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-55 21-24 81. Chestnut Hill................. 26 32 - 58 Widener....................... 31 50 - 81 3-point goals-Chestnut Hill 5-18 (McFadden, Julian 2-6; Greer, Issac 2-4; Devine, Mike 1-3; Rebstock, L.B. 0-1; Grubisic, Antonio 0-2; Murphy, Bill 0-1; Lennon, Bryant 0-1), Widener 8-15 (Thomas, Malcolm 4-5; Ford, Essien 2-4; Miller, Nyere 1-3; Haas, Wyatt 1-1; Edmunds, Bobby 0-1; Jones, James 0-1). Fouled out--Chestnut Hill-None, Widener-Smith, Terry. Rebounds-Chestnut Hill 28 (Bolling, Shawn 5; Rebstock, L.B. 5), Widener 41 (Thomas, Malcolm 9). Assists-Chestnut Hill 6 (Bolling, Shawn 3), Widener 14 (Miller, Nyere 4). Total fouls-Chestnut Hill 17, Widener 24. A-295