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CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team dropped its third consecutive game, losing to Wilmington College 78-70 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game at the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars fell to 3-7 on the season and 2-3 in the CACC, while the Wildcats won its first game of the season to improve to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

The first half went back and forth until the Cougars, buoyed by eight points from sophomore forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor), built a 17-12 lead with 9:08 remaining in the half. Wilmington then took control of the game with a 24-5 run that included seven points from Chris Rogers and a pair of threes from Bradford Morris. The run was aided by seven turnovers and 2-of-10 shooting from the field for Caldwell. A free throw from senior forward Teren Scudder (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) and a basket by freshman Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) made the halftime score 36-24 in favor of the visiting Wildcats.

The Cougars cut the lead to nine points twice early in the second half on baskets by sophomore guard Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance). But Wilmington scored on their next four possessions as part of an 8-2 run that gave the Wildcats a 47-32 advantage with 16:09 left to play. Wilmington expanded the lead to as many as 19 points, and held a 63-48 lead with 6:16 left before Caldwell made a run to get back into the game. Augustin made a three-pointer and a lay-up as part of a 10-2 run that made the score 65-58 with 4:54 on the clock. Another Cougar three from junior guard Jean Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood) helped Caldwell get to within five, 70-65 with just under two minutes to play. But the Cougars would get no closer as the Wildcats finished off their first win of the season.

Perez led all scorers with 21 points to go with a game-high nine rebounds. He now has 669 points in his career to move into 22nd on Caldwell's all-time scoring list. Georges (pictured) added 17 points and seven boards for the Cougars. Taurean Temple had 19 points and Morris had 17 as five Wildcats scored in double-figures. Wilmington scorched the nets shooting 68.2 percent from the field in the second half and 59.2 percent for the game.

The Cougars return to the court on Saturday, Dec. 17, when they host Felician College in another CACC game. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Newman Center.