WATERBURY, Conn. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team lost a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game at Post University, 92-71 in a battle between CACC North Division rivals Tuesday night at the Drubner Center. The result allows the Eagles (10-6 overall) to tie the Cougars (8-9) in the division standings with a 4-2 record in conference play.

Caldwell took an early 10-2 lead sparked by four points from freshman center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal). But the Eagles quickly erased the deficit by scoring 22 of the next 25 points to take a commanding 24-13 advantage midway through the first half. AJ Reitter, Rob McClain and Omar Robinson each hit threes for Post, while the Cougars went 1-of-10 from the field during the run. A three-point play by senior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) reduced the Post lead to eight, but the Eagles continued to apply pressure the rest of the half, taking a 47-29 lead into the halftime break.

Things didn't get much better in the second half for Caldwell, as Post extended its lead to as many as 25 points. The host Eagles, who have won four straight, shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half and 50.0 percent for the game. Brandon Romain, the reigning CACC Rookie of the Week, led Post with 21 points, while Reitter and Robinson each scored 12 points in the win.

Perez, pictured, was the lone bright spot for the Cougars, as the current CACC and ECAC Player of the Week tallied 24 points and six rebounds while making 10-of-16 from the floor. His offensive output moves him into third place on Caldwell's all-time scoring list with 1,644 points, passing former Caldwell great Derek Bailey, who tallied 1,643 points from 1992-96. Diffley finished with 11 points, while fellow freshman Malcolm Austin (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Acad.) had 13 points and six boards.

Next up for Caldwell is a CACC contest at Dominican College on Thursday, Jan. 29, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in Orangeburg, N.Y.