WILMINGTON, Del. - Freshman forward Sam Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham) recorded a career-high 17 rebounds, but the Caldwell College men's basketball team dropped a 56-51 decision to Goldey-Beacom College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon in the Jones Center. The loss gives the Cougars a 7-7 overall record, including a 3-5 mark in the CACC, while the Lightning improves to 6-7, 4-4 CACC.

Senior guard Jean Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood) scored eight of Caldwell's first 10 points of the game to help the Cougars take an early 10-5 lead. But Goldey-Beacom took its first lead of the game midway through the half and held it to the break. Georges scored before the first-half buzzer to make the score 28-25 in favor of the Lightning.

Caldwell grabbed the momentum during the first part of the second half with a 16-2 spree that put the Cougars ahead 41-30 at the 11:22 mark. Cricelli and junior forward B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior) each scored six points in the run, with sophomore center Michael Luzzi (Mount Arlington, NJ/Morris Catholic) punctuating the spree with a  conventional three-point play. But Goldey-Beacom battled back to tie the game at 46-46 on a basket by Derek Savage with 2:42 remaining. Another Savage lay-up followed by a three-pointer from Devon Valentine put the Lightning ahead 51-46 before Cricelli's basket made it 51-48 with 2:06 on the clock.

Savage pushed the lead back to five with a pair of free throws at the one-minute mark. After Cricelli scored again to cut the lead to 53-50 with 30 seconds left, DJ Stanberry hit a pair of free throws to restore the five-point lead. Caldwell could manage only a Georges free throw the rest of the way, as Goldey-Beacom ended a string of three season sweeps at the hands of the Cougars.

Cricelli, who also scored 12 points, had seven offensive rebounds as the Cougars grabbed 21 boards on the offensive glass compared to four for the Lightning. But Caldwell shot just 31.6 percent from the field for the game, including just 9-of-31 in the second half. Georges finished with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Cougars, with Suchy adding 12 points. Goldey-Beacom's Savage led all scorers with 18 points.

The Cougars travel to Nyack, N.Y., to take on Nyack College in a CACC battle on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The game is set for 8:00 p.m.