CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell College men's basketball team lost to Adelphi University, 70-56 in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon at the George R. Newman Center. Senior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) tallied 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the Cougars, who fall to 3-4 on the season. Adelphi, which shot 65.2 percent from the floor in the second half, improves to 5-3.
Caldwell trailed 18-9 midway through the first half before reeling off 12 straight points to take a 21-18 advantage with 3:18 left in the period. Perez had six points and senior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) had four points in the run. The lead changed hands five times before a free throw by freshman guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) made the score 27-27 at the break.
The game remained tight into the second half, with Caldwell eventually taking a 39-35 lead on a three-pointer by junior guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) at the 15-minute mark. The Panthers responded with eight straight points to gain a 43-39 lead with 12:19 to play. Free throws by senior center Michael Luzzi (Ledgewood, NJ/Morris Catholic) and freshman Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal), sandwiched around a basket by Richard Byrd, made the score 45-43 Adelphi with 10:28 on the clock. On the Panthers' next possession, Casey Cosgrove hit a three-pointer that ignited a 12-3 run to make the score 57-46 and take control of the game. Five consecutive points by Perez helped Caldwell pull to within six, 59-53 with 3:50 left. But the Panthers closed out the game with a 9-3 run to hold off the Cougars for the win.
Adelphi made 15-of-23 from the field in the second half compared to 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) for Caldwell to pull away. Perez hit 7-of-11 from the field and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to pace Caldwell. Augustin, pictured, finished with 10 points, while junior guard Jason Wilson (Hillside, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) dished out a season-best seven assists. Byrd led all scorers with 18 points to go with eight boards, while Cosgrove tallied 11 points and eight assists for Adelphi.
The Cougars travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to face Le Moyne College in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
