GOLDEN, Colo. – The Caldwell College men's basketball team was defeated by Mesa State College, 83-52 in the Colorado School of Mines Tournament Saturday evening at Lockridge Arena. The loss left the Cougars 0-2 at the tournament and 1-3 overall on the season, while the Mavericks improve to 1-2.

Caldwell took control of the game early, using six points from junior guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) and four from senior center Michael Luzzi (Ledgewood, NJ/Morris Catholic) to build a 16-6 lead after five minutes of play. The Mavericks answered by scoring 10 straight points as part of a 14-3 run that gave Mesa State its first lead of the game, 20-19 with 9:17 left in the first half. After Luzzi hit a free throw and a basket for a 22-20 Caldwell advantage, Sean Flohr caught fire, hitting four consecutive three-pointers over the next two minutes. The long-range outburst sparked a 21-0 Mavericks' spree that made the score 41-22 with 2:30 remaining in the half. Six points from senior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) helped the Cougars close the half with a 9-3 run that made the halftime score 44-31 in favor of Mesa State.

But the Mavericks regained the momentum by starting the second half with a 12-3 run that put Mesa State ahead 56-34 with 14:25 to play. Jake Swartzendruber had six points during the run for the Mavericks, who eventually would lead by as many as 29 points. Mesa State hit 50.9 percent of their field goal attempts for the game compared to 34.7 percent for Caldwell. The Cougars managed just seven baskets on 24 shots in the second half.

Crockett finished with a team-best 11 points, while Luzzi grabbed a game-high nine rebounds in the loss. Flohr, who made five threes, led all scorers with 17 points.

The Cougars open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play with a home game against Felician College on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The contest is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.