box score
CALDWELL, N.J. - Junior guard Jean Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood) tallied 22 points to spark the Cougars to a hard-fought 69-62 win over Goldey-Beacom College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon at the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars picked up their seventh win in eight games to improve to 10-9 overall and 6-5 in the CACC. The Lightning dropped to 10-5 and 6-5 in the conference with the loss.

The first half remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points. Both teams shot the ball well in the game's first 20 minutes, with Caldwell making 58.3 percent from the field compared to 52.4 percent for Goldey-Beacom. With the Lightning on top 31-27 with 2:18 left before halftime, a basket by Georges and a pair of lay-ups from sophomore forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor) allowed the Cougars to take a 33-31 lead into the break. Georges led Caldwell with 12 points in the first half.

The Lightning opened up the second half with baskets from Ben Slater and Tim Polk and a free throw by DJ Stanberry to regain the lead, 36-33. But senior guard Mark Kelly (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Twp.) nailed a three-pointer to tie the game, then Georges converted a conventional three-point play to put the Cougars up 39-36 at the 17:03 mark. Caldwell would never trail in the game again. Goldey-Beacom twice cut the lead to one point, only to have the Cougars build their advantage back up to six points each time. With Caldwell leading 57-51 with 5:37 on the clock, Nate Lewis' lay-up and a pair of free throws by Stanberry brought the Lightning to within 57-55 with just under four minutes to play. But Caldwell hit 12-of-16 from the line down the stretch to clinch the victory and give them their first winning record of the season.

Georges made 6-of-8 from the floor and all eight of his attempts from the charity stripe en route to his game-high 22 points. Georges has been the Cougars' leading scorer in nine of the team's 10 wins this season. Perez contributed 16 points and five rebounds, while senior forward Teren Scudder (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic), right, grabbed a team-best eight boards. Stanberry scored 21 points and Lewis recorded 17 points and six rebounds for the Lightning.

The Cougars are back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 24, when they visit Felician College in an important CACC battle. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.