WATERBURY, Conn. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team erased an eight-point deficit in the final minute of the game, only to have a late three-pointer give Post University an 81-78 win over the Cougars in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Thursday night in the Drubner Center. The loss drops Caldwell to 9-15 overall and 6-11 in league play, while the Eagles are now 15-10, 13-4 CACC.

A free throw by Cecil Stinson with 48 seconds remaining in the game put the host Eagles ahead 78-70. The Cougars answered with a quick three-pointer by junior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia), then forced a turnover that resulted in junior guard Derrick Ross (Newark, NJ/Newark Westside) draining a three to make the score 78-76 with 34 seconds left. Ross fouled Stinson, who missed both free throws, giving Caldwell a chance to tie. Junior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) took advantage of that opportunity, hitting a jumper to tie the game at 78-78. With time running down, Geraldo Fernandez made a three-pointer to put Post ahead, 81-78 with just two seconds on the clock. Otovic's shot at the buzzer was off the mark, as the Cougars saw their comeback fall just short.

The first half saw seven ties, including 22-22 with seven minutes to play in the half. The Eagles closed out the half with a 14-4 run that started and ended with three-pointers by Stinson, as Post led 36-26 at the break. Stinson had three treys and 11 points before halftime to lead all players. Eight points by sophomore forward Arthur Morrison (Phillipsburg, NJ/APEX) sparked a 10-2 Caldwell run to start the second half and make the score 38-36 Post. The Eagles regained control of the game and eventually built its lead up to as many as 11 points, 68-57 with 6:38 to play. But the Cougars kept battling, cutting into the lead with a 12-5 run capped by a Ross three-pointer that made the score 73-69 at the 2:48 mark. Fernandez tallied four of Post's next five points for an eight-point lead in the final minute, setting up Caldwell's improbable comeback and Fernandez's long-range dagger.

The Cougars kept pace with Post by shooting 61.5 percent from the floor in the second half, including 7-of-9 from three-point range. The accuracy from beyond the arc helped Caldwell make a season-high 10 threes on 16 attempts (62.5 percent) for the game. Otovic went 5-of-8 from long range en route to a game-high 24 points. Gill, pictured, finished with 13 points and a career-best nine assists, Morrison tallied 12 points and nine rebounds, and Ross had 10 points in the loss. Fernandez ended up with 22 points to lead Post, which also received 15 points from Stinson.

Caldwell wraps up the 2010-11 season with a home game against Chestnut Hill College on Friday, Feb. 25. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.