PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team was defeated by Chestnut Hill College, 81-69 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Monday evening at Sorgenti Arena. The loss drops the Cougars to 2-12 overall and 1-5 in the league, while the Griffins improve to 6-8, 2-3 CACC.
With Caldwell leading 20-19 at the 12:10 mark of the first half, Chestnut Hill reeled off a 20-2 run to take over the game and lead 39-22 with 3:39 remaining in the first half. The Griffins held Caldwell to 1-of-11 shooting from the field while forcing five turnovers during the key run. A pair of baskets by junior guard Dante Rollins (East Orange, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) and a three-pointer by sophomore guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) allowed the Cougars to close out the half with a 7-0 run to make the halftime score 39-29 in favor of the host Griffins.
Caldwell continued its comeback at the start of the second half by outscoring Chestnut Hill 7-1, including a three from sophomore guard Malcolm Austin (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers), to cut the deficit to four, 40-36 with 18:16 remaining. But the Griffins answered with a 10-2 run of their own, capped by a three by Julian McFadden, to restore a double-digit advantage, 50-38 with 15 minutes left. A conventional three-point play from junior guard Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) briefly brought Caldwell within nine points, 50-41, but the Cougars would get no closer, trailing by as many as 17 points en route to their third straight loss.
Caldwell grabbed 23 offensive rebounds and held a 40-35 advantage on the glass for the game. Chestnut Hill shot the ball well, making 57.7 percent from the field compared to 38.2 percent for the Cougars.
Brimley recorded career highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds, and had three steals to pace Caldwell. Austin contributed 12 points, while Otovic (pictured) dished out a career-best nine assists to go with 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Ryan Cook led all scorers with 21 points for the Griffins, who also received 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks from Dan Comas. McFadden pitched in 16 points in the win.
Next up for Caldwell is a home game against CACC newcomer Concordia College on Thursday, Jan. 21. The game is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.
