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CALDWELL, N.J. - Down 41-20 at halftime, the Caldwell College men's basketball team staged an improbably comeback to defeat Post University, 66-63 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Tuesday evening at the George R. Newman Center. The victory is the Cougars first conference win at home this season and improves their record to 9-9 overall, including a 5-5 mark in the CACC. The Eagles fall to 5-9 overall, 4-5 in the conference.

The Eagles used hot shooting from the field to lead by as many as 23 in the first half, making 16-of-27 (.593) from the floor, including 6-of-12 from three-point range. A.J. Reitter hit all four of his three-point attempts in the half en route to 12 points, while Justin Skipwith scored 11 points. The Cougars, meanwhile, made just 26.7 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 21-13 in the half.

Momentum swung in favor of Caldwell in the second half. With the Eagles still leading 50-32 with 14:17 to play, the Cougars got back into the game with a 15-0 run that included a pair of three-pointers from freshman guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) and five points from junior guard Jean Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood), left, that made the score 50-47 at the 8:16 mark. The Cougars forced six Eagles' turnovers while swiping four steals. After a dunk by Post's Peter Lawal, free throws by Georges and sophomore forward B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior) pulled Caldwell to within one. Then after another Post turnover, Augustin hit a jumper that gave the Cougars their first lead since the first two minutes of the game.

The Cougars worked the lead up to 57-54 with just over two minutes remaining. Reitter answered with his only three of the second half to tie the game at 57-57 with 1:27 on the clock. On the Cougars' next possession, sophomore forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor) converted a conventional three-point play to complete the comeback and put the Cougars up for good. Post pulled within one on a three from Gary Shick, but free throws by Georges and Suchy sealed the hard-fought victory for Caldwell.

Georges netted 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, with Perez tallying 10 of his 16 points after halftime. Georges also grabbed a team-best eight boards, while senior guard Kelvin Reese (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck), right, contributed to the Cougars' swarming defense with four steals. Caldwell out-rebounded Post 23-12 in the second half and forced a total of 21 turnovers in the game. Reitter finished with 17 points to lead the Eagles.

Next up for the Cougars is a home conference game with Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday, Jan. 21. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.