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CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team opened play in the ECAC Holiday Classic with a 68-62 loss to Cheyney University in the George R. Newman Center Saturday night. The defeat, which followed Dominican's 87-70 win over NYIT in the Classic's first game, gives the Cougars an overall record of 3-5 on the season, while the Wolves are now 6-1.
Caldwell built an early 14-6 lead over the game's first nine minutes, with junior guard Nic Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) and sophomore forward Arthur Morrison (Phillipsburg, NJ/APEX) each scoring four points. Cheyney pulled to within one point three times and tied the game at 27-27 with under two minutes to go in the half. But a basket by senior forward Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) and a pair of free throws from junior guard Don Trifari (Montville, NJ/Paul Robeson) before the half sent the Cougars into the break leading 31-27. Caldwell held Cheyney to 37.5 percent shooting from the field in the first half while scoring 11 points off 11 Wolves' turnovers.
Two baskets by Otovic, pictured, helped the Cougars take a 35-30 lead early in the second half. Cheyney's Sharif Bray nailed a pair of threes sandwiched around a basket from David Burton to give the Wolves their first lead since early in the first half, 38-35 with 17 minutes left. The game remained close, with Cheyney leading 46-44 at the 12-minute mark before the visitors scored the next 10 points to take control with a 56-44 lead with eight minutes to play. Bray had four points and Caldwell turned the ball over four times in the run. The lead was still 12 when a three-pointer by Otovic sparked a 7-0 Caldwell run that made the score 58-53 Cheyney with 3:33 left. But Burton hit a basket and drained a three to end the run, and the Wolves held on for their second win over Caldwell in two years.
The Cougars went cold from the field in the second half, making 10-of-28 (35.7 percent) from the floor compared to 51.7 percent for Cheyney. Otovic finished with 16 points and three steals, while Brimley tallied 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Caldwell. Bray led all players with 20 points to go with seven assists, while Burton added 17 points and nine boards in the win.
Caldwell takes on NYIT in the final game of the ECAC Holiday Classic on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4:00 p.m. Cheyney and Dominican get things started Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
