CALDWELL, N.J. - Senior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) racked up 24 points and 14 rebounds as the Caldwell College men's basketball team defeated Felician College, 78-70 in the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game of the season Tuesday evening in the George R. Newman Center. The victory helps the Cougars improve to 2-3 overall and open the CACC schedule with a 1-0 record, while the Golden Falcons fall to 1-3, 0-1 CACC.

The first half remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points. After a pair of free throws by Perez put Caldwell ahead 34-30 with just over a minute left in the half, baskets by Antoine Obery and Kashiff Foster tied the game at 34-34 at the break. The teams combined to hit 10 three-pointers in the first half, including two by Devon Young.

The lead changed hands four times in the first seven minutes of the half, until a three-pointer by Obery gave Felician a 47-43 advantage with 11:24 on the clock. But back-to-back jumpers by sophomore guard Dante Rollins (East Orange, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) started a 14-3 run for the Cougars en route to a 57-50 lead with 7:10 to play. Perez also added a pair of dunks and two free throws during the run, which saw the Golden Falcons turn the ball over twice and shoot 1-of-5 from the floor. The lead grew to as many as 11 points, and the Cougars held off a late run by Felician to earn their fourth straight win over the Golden Falcons. Caldwell shot a sizzling 65.0 percent (13-of-20) from the field in the second half compared to 39.7 percent for Felician. The Cougars also went to the line 12 more times than the Golden Falcons, outscoring their opponents 26-14 from the charity stripe.

Perez was 7-of-13 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the line to record his first double-double of the season. Junior guard Jason Wilson (Hillside, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) had nine points, seven assists and two steals, while freshman center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) tallied nine points and five rebounds. Obery led Felician with 16 points and six assists.

Next up for Caldwell is a CACC game at Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday, Dec. 6, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Wilmington, Del.