Box Score CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team fell to Post University, 60-57 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Saturday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars, who have lost their last three games by three points or less, are now 5-12 overall and 1-7 in the conference, while the Eagles improve to 11-6, 6-3 CACC.

Caldwell held Post to just eight points over the first 11:26 of the game in building a 20-8 lead. The lead was still 10 points before Effrin Ellison hit a three-pointer late in the half to make the halftime score 30-23 Cougars. Sophomore forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for Caldwell, who scored 20 of its 30 first-half points in the paint.

The Eagles started out hot in the second half, reeling off an 11-2 run sparked by threes from Devin Willis and Zach Krischer for a 34-32 lead with 15:42 to play. The lead changed hands seven times over the next eight minutes, with Caldwell using two free throws from Balkovic and a pair of baskets by senior forward Karel Thuwis (Zonhoven, Belgium) to build a 51-47 lead with six minutes remaining.

After Post came back to tie the score at 53-53 with three minutes on the clock, lay-ups by sophomore guard Wyatt Polk (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) and Balkovic off of offensive rebounds restored Caldwell's four-point lead, 57-53 with 1:17 to play. Following a pair of Jake Wilcox free throws and a Caldwell turnover, Willis hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds left to put Post ahead, 58-57. An offensive foul on the Cougars' next possession gave the ball back to the Eagles, and Krischer hit two free throws for a 60-57 advantage. Caldwell's three-point attempt at the end of regulation was off the mark, ending the game in Post's favor.

Balkovic finished with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Polk had 11 points and six rebounds. Senior forward Kairo Rochford (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) grabbed a career-high eight rebounds to go with five points, and sophomore guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) dished out six assists. Willis and Jerry Cummings led Post with 16 points apiece, with Cummings adding 13 boards. The Cougars shot 48.0 percent for the game and held a 33-25 edge on the glass, but the Eagles scored 19 points off 18 Caldwell turnovers and made six threes compared to two for the hosts.

The Cougars host Nyack College on Wednesday, Jan. 23, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.