PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team dropped a non-conference game to Merrimack College, 87-59 Friday afternoon at the Pace University Tournament in Pleasantville, N.Y. The defeat is the fifth straight for Caldwell (2-7), while Merrimack improves to 7-2.

A 19-2 Merrimack run midway through the first half broke open a close game and gave the Warriors a 29-12 lead with eight minutes left in the half. After taking a 49-29 advantage at halftime, Merrimack never looked back, building its lead to as many as 34 points in the second half to cruise to victory. The Warriors shot 48.4 percent from the field while taking 10 more free throw attempts than the Cougars, who made just 37.1 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from the line.

Senior guard Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middle Twp.) and junior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) each scored 11 points to lead Caldwell, with senior forward B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior New American) recording a team-best seven rebounds to go with nine points. Darin Mency scored a game-high 22 points for the Warriors, who also received 14 points and 10 assists from Darren Duncan.

The Cougars complete play at the Pace Tournament with Saturday's meeting with the host Setters at 7:00 p.m.