ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Freshman guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) scored 19 points as the Caldwell College men's basketball team won its first game at the Eckerd Tournament, 87-71 over Palm Beach Atlantic Friday evening at Eckerd's McArthur Center. The Cougars improve to 2-0 on the season with the victory, while the Sailfish drop to 0-2.

Caldwell took control of the game late in the first half with a 13-3 run, capped by a three from Walker that put the Cougars ahead 37-22 with 1:28 left in the half. A lay-up by freshman guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) helped Caldwell take a 15-point lead into halftime, 39-24. Walker made all four of his field goal attempts in the first half en route to 10 points.

A pair of baskets by Ian Sitz sparked a 6-0 run at the start of the second half for Palm Beach Atlantic to cut the Cougars' lead to nine, 39-30. Caldwell responded by making 9-of-12 from the floor over a six-minute span to take its largest lead of the game, 57-39 with 11:37 remaining. Junior forward Arthur Morrison (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) scored nine points during that stretch. The Sailfish came within nine points four times the rest of the way but would get no closer, as the Cougars closed out the game with an 8-1 run.

In just his second collegiate game, Walker shot 8-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, to finish with 19 points and three steals. Morrison, pictured, and senior guard Nikola Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) each scored 15 points, with Otovic adding four assists and three steals. Junior forward Karel Thuwis (Zonhoven, Belgium/Brehm Prep) paced Caldwell on the glass with eight rebounds to go with 11 points, while senior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) recorded nine points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Palm Beach Atlantic was led by Dante Valentine with 20 points, nine boards and three steals.

The Cougars play host Eckerd College on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. on the second day of the Eckerd Tournament.