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CALDWELL, N.J. - A 19-foot jumper by junior guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic) with 2.0 seconds on the clock broke a 55-55 tie and allowed the Caldwell College men's basketball team to defeat Dowling College, 57-55 in a non-conference game at the George R. Newman Center Sunday night. The victory ends a two-game losing streak for the Cougars, who are now 6-7 overall on the season. The Golden Lions drop to 3-8 with the loss.
With Caldwell leading 53-52 following a lay-up by senior forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.), a three-pointer by David Seagers with 4:11 remaining put Dowling on top 55-53. After neither team scored on their next three possessions, freshman center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) received a nice pass from Perez and scored to tie the game at 55-55 with 1:29 left. Diffley blocked Seagers' shot on Dowling's next possession, but a turnover gave the Golden Lions the ball with 37 seconds on the clock. But Seagers' three-point attempt was off the mark, and a turnover gave Caldwell possession with 7.5 seconds left.
Crockett received the inbounds pass on Caldwell's side of half-court, dribbled to the top of the key and drained an open 19-foot jumper for a two-point Cougar advantage with 2.0 seconds remaining. It was Crockett's only basket of the game. Seagers attempted a long three-pointer from mid-court that was off the mark, clinching the win for Caldwell.
The Cougars fell behind by as many as nine points in the first half as Dowling jumped out to a 39-32 lead at halftime. The lead grew to as many as 11 before Caldwell used a 14-2 run sparked by eight points from Perez to get back in the game and take a 46-45 lead at the 8:19 mark of the second half. The lead changed hands three more times before a pair of free throws by freshman guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) and a lay-up by Perez put the Cougars ahead 53-52, setting up Crockett's heroics.
Perez had 12 points and six rebounds, while Diffley and senior guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) scored 10 points apiece. Diffley matched Perez with six rebounds, and Crockett finished with three steals and two important points. Seagers led all players with 16 points and five steals.
Next up for Caldwell is a home game against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Bloomfield College on Thursday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
