PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - A lay-up by Adewale Adefemi with 4.9 seconds remaining allowed the University of the Sciences to defeat Caldwell College, 56-55 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men's basketball game on Saturday at Morgan Arena. The loss is the seventh straight for the Cougars, who are now 3-20 overall and 2-12 in the conference. The Devils improve to 6-14, 4-7 CACC.

After a basket by sophomore center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) broke a tie and put Caldwell ahead 53-51 with just over a minute to play, Matt Whitworth hit a three-pointer to give the lead to USP, 54-53. The Cougars answered with a lay-up from junior guard Dante Rollins (East Orange, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) with 29 seconds left for a 55-54 lead. With the clock winding down, Adefemi drove the lane and converted a lay-up with 4.9 seconds remaining to put the Devils on top 56-55. Caldwell had one final chance for the winning basket, but Diffley's three-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

The Cougars held the lead for the entire first half, leading by as many as seven points after four points from junior guard Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) and two by Diffley resulted in a 22-15 advantage with 3:47 left in the half. The Devils ended the half with an 8-2 run to leave Caldwell with a 24-23 lead at halftime.

USP took its first lead of the game on a steal and dunk by Adefemi that made the score 28-26 with 16:46 on the clock. The lead changed hands three times over the next three minutes, with Brimley's three-pointer with 4:28 left sparking a 7-0 run that put Caldwell ahead, 50-45 with 2:28 remaining. The Cougars still led by three when Curtis Fitch tied the game at 51-51 with a three-pointer at the 1:30 mark. Whitworth answered Diffley's basket with a three, setting up the exciting finish. The loss officially eliminated Caldwell from the postseason.

Sophomore guard Malcolm Austin (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers) led the Cougars with 15 points, including 11 in the first half. Diffley, who grabbed a team-best seven rebounds, scored 10 of his 14 points after halftime. Brimley, pictured, finished with 13 points. Adefemi led all scorers with 17 points and eight boards for USP, which received 13 points from William Kernan.

Caldwell takes on Concordia College on Thursday, Feb. 18. The CACC game starts at 7:00 p.m. in Bronxville, N.Y.