CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team defeated Bloomfield College, 73-70 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. The victory allows the Cougars to match their best start in five years with a 5-1 record, including a 2-0 mark in the conference. The Deacons fall to 3-5 overall, 0-1 CACC.
Caldwell started fast with an 8-0 run to open the game, eventually taking a 39-24 lead at halftime. Senior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) made three three-pointers and scored 13 points, as the Cougars shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half compared to 24.3 percent for the Deacons.
Caldwell remained in control into the second half until a 15-5 Bloomfield run brought the Deacons to within three, 50-47 with 8:49 remaining. A 13-4 spree, sparked by seven points from freshman forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) appeared to put the game out of reach for Bloomfield, which trailed 63-51 with three minutes to play. But three-pointers from Marvin Williams and Michael Rotando fueled a furious comeback that made it a two-point game, 70-68 with 29 seconds left. Balkovic made two free throws on the next possession for a 72-68 advantage, and the Deacons ran out of time despite out-scoring Caldwell 19-10 over the final three minutes.
The Cougars ended up shooting 51.0 percent from the field while holding a 44-37 rebounding edge for the game. The last time Caldwell started the season 5-1 was in 2006-07.
Gill and senior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) each had 16 points to lead Caldwell, with Otovic adding eight rebounds and three assists. Balkovic tallied 11 of his 13 points in the second half while leading the Cougars with nine rebounds. Freshman guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) contributed 10 points and four assists in the win, which ended a seven-game losing streak to Bloomfield. The Deacons were led by Terry Hicks with 19 points.
The Cougars take on Felician College on Tuesday, Dec. 6 in another CACC contest. The game is set to start at 8:00 p.m. in Rutherford, N.J.
