RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Sophomore forward Sam Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham) recorded 19 points and seven rebounds as the Caldwell College men's basketball team defeated Felician College, 76-70 in the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game of the season for both teams Wednesday night at Job Gym. The Cougars, who held off a late charge by Felician, even their overall record at 2-2 with the win, while the Golden Falcons drop to 3-4.
Caldwell started the game making its first four shots from the field, including three-pointers from Cricelli and senior guard Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middle Twp.), to take an early 13-4 lead. Felician answered with a 10-0 run sparked by threes from Jason Romer and Derrell Thomas to pull ahead 14-13. The Golden Falcons led 21-20 with just under eight minutes left in the first half when the Cougars rode a 13-1 spree over the next four minutes to grab a 33-22 advantage. Five points by Thomas helped Felician cut the deficit to seven, 38-31, at halftime.
Buoyed by nine points from James Harper, the Golden Falcons carved into the Caldwell lead during the first eight minutes of the second half to trail by only two points, 50-48 with 11:54 to play. The Cougars maintained the upper hand by shooting well, making 60.0 percent of their attempts from the field in the second half. But the game remained close until Caldwell used an 8-1 run to build its largest lead of the game, 73-61 with 2:17 remaining. Felician refused to surrender, scoring nine of the next 10 points to make the score 74-70 with 17 seconds on the clock. But Wise hit two free throws after being fouled, and the Golden Falcons failed to score on their final two possessions.
The Cougars overcame 23 turnovers by shooting 52.9 percent from the field for the game, compared to 39.3 percent for the Golden Falcons, who swiped 18 steals. Cricelli was 7-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, to pace the cougars in scoring for the second time in four games this season. Senior guard Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance) scored 15 points, Wise finished with 12 and senior forward B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior) had 11 points. Junior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with nine points. Harper led Felician with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six steals, while Devon Young had 17 points.
The Cougars continue CACC play on Saturday, Dec. 8 with a home game against Goldey-Beacom College. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.
