CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team shot 75.0 percent from the field in the second half of an 88-70 victory over the University of New Haven in the first home game of the season Saturday afternoon at the George R. Newman Center. The win is the Cougars' second in a row and evens their record at 2-2 on the season, while the Chargers drop to 1-2.
Caldwell fell behind early and trailed 22-13 following a three-pointer by Jeremy Williams at the 11:10 mark. The Cougars answered with 17 straight points, including seven from junior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle), that put Caldwell on top 30-22 with six minutes to go in the half. Another three from Williams sparked a 9-0 run for New Haven to regain the lead, but a basket by sophomore forward Karel Thuwis (Zonhoven, Belgium/Brehm Prep) and two free throws from freshman guard Patrick O'Connell (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) allowed Caldwell to take a 34-32 lead into halftime. New Haven shot 50.0 percent from the floor in the half, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, but the Cougars held a 21-15 rebounding advantage and had eight second-chance points.
The Chargers used a Williams three-pointer and a basket by Robert Jamerson in the first minute of the second half to take a 37-36 lead. But the Cougars grabbed control of the game with an 18-2 spree that resulted in a 54-39 lead with just under 15 minutes to play. Junior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) hit two three-pointers and had eight points and two steals in the run, with the Chargers making just 1-of-7 from the field. The lead grew to 64-43 at the 11-minute mark following a three and a lay-up from senior guard Dante Rollins (East Orange, NJ/Bloomfield Tech), and New Haven never came closer than 17 points the rest of the way. Caldwell made 18-of-24 from the field in the second half, with Otovic scorching the nets for 19 points on 6-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Otovic, pictured, who scored 17 points in Tuesday's 77-75 win at Mercy College, finished with a career-high 27 points to go with four assists and three steals. Senior forward Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) added 11 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while sophomore forward Arthur Morrison (Phillipsburg, NJ/APEX) had 11 points and seven boards. For the game Caldwell enjoyed a 43-30 advantage on the glass. New Haven was led by Williams with 21 points and Jamerson with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Cougars begin Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 7 with a league game at Nyack College. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. in Nyack, N.Y.
