ORANGEBURG, N.Y. - Junior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) scored 21 points to lead the Caldwell College men's basketball team to an 83-69 victory over Concordia College in a non-conference game at Dominican College's James Clancy Memorial Tournament Monday afternoon at the Hennessy Center. The win snaps the Cougars' five-game losing streak and gives them a 4-7 record, while the Clippers drop to 3-9.
The first half remained close, with 11 lead changes and neither team leading by more than five points. Following a three-pointer by Brandon Whitaker that put the Clippers on top 31-27 with 3:22 left in the half, the Cougars closed out the period with an 8-1 run to take a 35-32 halftime lead. Caldwell shot 50.0 percent from the field in the first half while holding Concordia to 36.4 percent.
Momentum stayed with the Cougars to start the second half, as back-to-back conventional three-point plays by Otovic and senior forward Antonio Brimley (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Eastside) sparked a 15-3 run that pushed the lead to 50-35 with just over 16 minutes to play. Whitaker answered for Concordia with nine points in a 14-4 run that made the score 54-49 at the 11:40 mark. A basket by Marquis Campbell with eight minutes remaining made it a three-point game at 59-56. But the Cougars found their shooting touch, making five of their next seven shots, including two by junior center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) and a three-pointer from freshman guard Patrick O'Connell (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South), to build the lead back up to 72-59 with 3:24 on the clock. Caldwell hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe down the stretch to wrap up the win.
The Cougars ended up shooting 54.4 percent from the field for the game, including a 59.3 percent shooting performance in the second half. Otovic, pictured, tallied 15 of his team-high 21 points after halftime, making 7-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Brimley racked up 14 points, six rebounds and a career-high six assists, while Diffley finished with 10 points and a team-leading seven boards. Whitaker led all players with 22 points, and Argelix Gil recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds for Concordia, which lost its sixth straight game.
The Cougars resume Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 6 with a league game at Felician College. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. in Rutherford, N.J.
