PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team fell in overtime to Chestnut Hill College, 81-73 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena. The Griffins out-scored the Cougars 19-11 in the overtime period to win the first meeting between the two schools. The loss leaves Caldwell with a 10-15 overall record and a 8-6 mark in the conference, while Chestnut Hill improves to 4-19, 3-10 CACC.
After a close first half that saw the Griffins take a 33-30 lead at halftime, the Cougars scored the first 11 points of the second half to grab a 41-33 advantage with 15 minutes to play. With Caldwell still on top, 47-40 with 11 minutes to go, Chestnut Hill fought back into the game with a 14-2 run that gave them a 54-49 lead with 5:32 remaining in regulation. The Cougars still trailed 60-54 when a three-pointer by sophomore guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) and a basket by junior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) made it a one-point game in favor of the Griffins, 60-59 with two minutes left. After Chestnut Hill made 2-of-4 from the line to lead 62-59 with 22 seconds on the clock, senior guard Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middle Twp.) buried a three, his fourth of the game, to tie the score at 62-62 with 12 seconds to go. A final attempt by Brandon Williams was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.
Kevin Whaley got things started in the Griffins' favor by hitting a three-pointer in Chestnut Hill's first possession of the extra period. After a basket by Lars Jeter put the Griffins ahead 67-62, the hosts proceeded to hit 12 consecutive free throws on their next six possessions to hold off the Cougars and clinch the overtime win. The Griffins took advantage of going to the free throw line 22 times more than Caldwell for the game, making 33-of-37 compared to 10-of-15 for the Cougars.
Perez tallied a game-high 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, while grabbing a team-best 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Wise hit five three-pointers en route to 17 points, while Crockett finished with a career-high 13 points to go with four assists. Williams and Julian McFadden each scored 19 points to lead the Griffins, with McFadden making 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
The Cougars return to Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, Feb. 23 to face Philadelphia University in another CACC match-up. The game is set to start at 4:00 p.m.
