CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team remained winless on the season with a 68-52 loss to Cheyney University in a non-conference contest at the George R. Newman Center Monday night. The defeat drops the Cougars to 0-3 on the season, while the Wolves improve to 3-1.
The two teams battled in the first half, with five ties and three lead changes. A conventional three-point play by senior forward Matt Cohen (Forked River, NJ/Manasquan) and baskets from junior forward Tyler Emmons (Portland, ME) and freshman guard Cameron Badger (Trenton, NJ/Living Faith Christian) allowed the Cougars to take their largest lead of the half, 26-21 with 7:28 on the clock. Cheyney ended the half with a 10-3 spree, buoyed by two three-pointers by Sharif Bray, that sent the Wolves into the break with a 31-29 lead.
The game remained close for the first 11 minutes of the second half, as Caldwell came back to briefly take the lead twice. With the game tied at 47-47 following a lay-up by Cohen at the 8:58 mark, Cheyney took control of the game with a 17-0 run that turned a tight contest into a one-sided decision. Six different players scored for the Wolves in the run, as Bray and Amardio Matos each scored four points en route to a 64-47 lead with 3:13 remaining. But Cheyney was helped by five turnovers by the Cougars, who also missed all five of their attempts from the field in the run.
Junior guard Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) recorded 10 points and six rebounds, while sophomore guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) also had 10 points, all in the first half. Cohen, pictured, grabbed seven boards and Emmons finished with six to help Caldwell out-rebound Cheyney, 37-29. Bray led all scorers with 24 points, while James Inge tallied 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Wolves, who scored 23 points off Caldwell turnovers and had 14 steals.
The Cougars take on Dominican College on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game of the season. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. in Orangeburg, N.Y.
