CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team lost a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game at Bloomfield College, 86-61 Wednesday evening at the Bloomfield Gym. The loss drops the Cougars to 9-7 overall and 4-5 in the conference, while the Deacons improve to 14-5, 8-1 CACC.

Bloomfield took control of a sloppy first half with a 13-1 run that put the Deacons ahead 30-22. Caldwell answered with a 12-2 run of its own, led by six points from senior center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal), to lead 34-22 with a minute left in the half. A basket by Ahmad Harris and a three from Steve Henderson allowed Bloomfield to take a 37-34 advantage at the break.

Momentum stayed with the Deacons into the second half, as Bloomfield scored the first 10 points after halftime to extend its lead to 47-34. The hosts never let up, building the lead to as many as 24 points while holding the Cougars to just three field goals over the first 15 minutes of the second half. The Deacons dominated the boards, 59-39 and grabbed 26 offensive rebounds for the game.

Senior guard Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia) tallied 14 points and junior forward Arthur Morrison (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) registered 12 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) added 12 points, five boards and two steals. The Deacons were led by Mike Williams with 18 points and Matt Wafula with 17.

The Cougars play at the University of the Sciences on Saturday, Jan. 21, beginning at 3:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.