CALDWELL, N.J. - Junior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Caldwell College men's basketball team to a 74-57 triumph over Wilmington University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. The victory is the Cougars' second in a row and improves their record to 4-9 overall and 2-1 in the conference. The Wildcats fall to 5-7, 1-2 CACC.

Caldwell led from start to finish, leading by as many as 20 points in the first half before taking a 36-20 advantage at the break. The bulge was created by a 27-9 run over 12 minutes that put the home team ahead 36-16 with a minute left in the half. Perez scored 10 points and junior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) had nine in the spree. The Cougars made 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the first half, compared to just 3-of-16 for Wilmington.

The second half was more even, as the Wildcats pulled to within 10 points three times, including 59-49 with 5:23 remaining. But that's as close as Wilmington would get, with the Cougars finishing strong by out-scoring Wilmington 15-8 the rest of the way. Caldwell enjoyed a huge advantage at the free throw line, going 27-for-32 (84.4 percent) compared to 8-for-25 (32.0 percent) for Wilmington.

Perez, whose consecutive free throws streak ended at 22, scored 25 points for the second time in three games, making 8-of-13 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line. He also recorded three blocks. Augustin finished with 12 points, and junior center Michael Luzzi (Mount Arlington, NJ/Morris Catholic) recorded season highs of 10 points and seven rebounds. Kevin Cooper led the Wildcats with 16 points and eight boards.

The Cougars host the University of the Sciences on Tuesday, Jan. 8 in a rematch of last year's CACC Tournament final. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.