Cougars Edged by NYIT in Men's Basketball, 73-68

Box Score CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team lost a close battle with NYIT, 73-68 in a non-conference game Tuesday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars drop to 2-4 with the loss, while the Bears improve to 3-1.

Caldwell built an early seven point lead, but NYIT eventually took control with a 14-6 run that made the score 31-25 Bears with three minutes left in the first half. The Cougars came back just before halftime, closing out the period with a 9-3 spree capped by a three and a jumper from freshman forward Billy McDonald (North Haven, CT/North Haven) that gave Caldwell a 34-33 edge at the break. The Cougars shot 54.2 percent from the field in the first half and received six points apiece from sophomore forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) and freshman guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy).

The score remained tight until the Bears scored eight straight points for a 52-45 advantage with 11:33 on the clock. The lead grew to as many as nine points, 62-53 with five minutes remaining, before the Cougars battled back. Baskets by Lighty, Balkovic and sophomore guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield), followed by a three from Polk tied the score at 62-62 at the 3:28 mark. Five free throws plus a basket by Dominic Scurry, coupled with a couple of empty Caldwell possessions, gave NYIT a 69-64 lead with a minute left. The Cougars came within three points twice, but could not prevent the Bears from gaining their third win over a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference team this season.

Senior forward Arthur Morrison (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) led Caldwell with 15 points. Polk finished with 13 points and two steals, while Balkovic, the reigning CACC Player of the Week, tallied 12 points and 12 rebounds. Kayvon Roberts led all players with 17 points for the Bears, who shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the second half compared to 40.0 percent for the Cougars.

Caldwell plays another non-conference game on Sunday, Nov. 25 at Dowling College, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in Oakdale, N.Y.

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