CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team wrapped up the regular season with a victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College, 74-66 in a non-league game Saturday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. With the win, the Cougars improve to 14-12 on the season, while the Spartans fall to 8-16.

Caldwell used a 15-2 run, sparked by eight points from freshman forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) and five from freshman guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) to take a commanding 29-13 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half. The Spartans closed out the half with an 8-0 run punctuated by a three from Sam Wilson that made the halftime score 36-32 Caldwell.

A three-pointer by Justin Brown helped STAC open the second period with a 7-2 run for its first lead of the game, 39-38. The score was tied 45-45 at the 13:20 mark when the Cougars reeled off a 15-5 spree, capped by a three from senior guard Derrick Ross (Newark, NJ/Newark Westside), that put the hosts on top, 60-50 with eight minutes remaining. The Spartans never came closer than six points the rest of the way, as the Cougars secured the program's 16th winning season in the 25th year of men's basketball at Caldwell College.

The Cougars out-rebounded STAC 44-31 for the game while dishing out 21 assists, including six helpers from freshman guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep). Senior guard Anthony Gill (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) tallied 16 points and six rebounds, and junior forward Arthur Morrison (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) grabbed eight boards to go with 11 points. Polk recorded 12 points, six rebounds and two steals, Balkovic finished with 10 points and senior center Peter Diffley (Bellerose, NY/Episcopal) scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field. Brown paced the Spartans with 23 points.

The win marked the final regular-season home game for seniors Nik Otovic (Kraljevo, Serbia), Don Trifari (Towaco, NJ/Paul Robeson), Diffley, Gill and Ross.

The Cougars still have a shot at a CACC Tournament bid, needing losses by Concordia in its final two games to finish in fourth place in the CACC North. The CACC Tournament begins on Saturday, Feb. 25, with the semifinals and finals held at Caldwell College on Mar. 2-3.