CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team erased a 13-point second-half deficit down to one, only to fall 80-74 to Bloomfield College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Thursday evening in the George R. Newman Center. The loss drops the Cougars to 8-15 overall and 5-10 in league play, while the Deacons improve to 16-8, 13-3 CACC.
With Bloomfield leading 64-54 midway through the second half, Caldwell reeled off a 15-6 run to pull to within one, 70-69 with 2:22 left in the game. Junior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) hit two three-pointers in the run, with junior center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) scoring four points. After a missed shot by Bloomfield, the Cougars had two chances to take the lead on their next possession. But a pair of missed shots kept the Deacons on top, and Gage Daye added a free throw for a 71-69 lead with 1:50 left. Daye then grabbed a rebound off another Caldwell miss and sprinted down for a lay-up and a 73-69 lead. Following a free throw by Ahmad Harris, Gill drained another three at the one-minute mark to make it a two-point game, 74-72. But the Deacons hit all six of their free throws the rest of the way to close out the win.
The first half remained close until a 12-2 run by Bloomfield put the visitors ahead, 36-26 with 1:44 on the clock. Two free throws by Daye at the end of the half gave the Deacons a 38-27 advantage at the break. Caldwell was plagued by poor free throw shooting, making just 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from the line in the first half. The lead grew to as many as 13 points, including 55-42 following a three-pointer by Ryan Rodrigues at the 14:14 mark of the second half. But Caldwell continued to plug away, eventually coming within one possession of the lead before eventually losing a hard-fought battle.
The Cougars' shooting woes at the line didn't get much better, as Caldwell shot 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from the charity stripe for the game compared to 78.1 percent for Bloomfield. Five players scored in double figures for Caldwell, led by junior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) with 14. Sophomore forward Karel Thuwis (Zonhoven, Belgium/Brehm Prep), pictured, turned in his best game as a Cougar with career highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Tyler Emmons (Portland, ME/Portland) and junior guard Derrick Ross (Newark, NJ/Newark Westside) each scored 12 points, while Gill added 11 points, seven assists and three steals. Daye led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds to pace Bloomfield.
Caldwell travels to face Wilmington University on Saturday, Feb. 19. The CACC clash is set to start at 3:00 p.m. in New Castle, Del.
