WORCESTER, Mass. – The Caldwell University men's basketball team wrapped up play at the Northeast 10 Conference Challenge with a 65-59 loss to Stonehill College Sunday afternoon at Assumption College's Laska Gym. The Cougars, who beat Assumption on Saturday, are now 1-1 on the season. The Skyhawks finish the weekend 2-0.
Caldwell led 11-6 early, buoyed by a three-pointer from junior guard
Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy). But then the Cougars went cold, as Stonehill went on a 16-0 run to take a 22-11 advantage with 6:34 left in the first half. Caldwell came back with an 8-4 run of their own, only to have the Skyhawks score the final four points for a 32-21 halftime lead. The Cougars shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the first half compared to 48.3 percent for the Skyhawks.
Early in the second half, Stonehill maintained the upper hand by pushing its lead to 44-29 with 16 minutes remaining. At that point, Caldwell got back into the game by reeling off 13 consecutive points to make it a two-point game, 44-42 with 11 minutes to play. Lighty and senior guard
Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) each scored four points in the run, which was punctuated by a three-pointer from junior guard
Salvatore Vitello (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan). But Stonehill responded with a 9-0 spree to retake an 11-point lead, 53-42 with 7:06 on the clock.
Caldwell made a late comeback attempt, cutting the deficit to four points following a three from freshman guard
Tyler Drews (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge). But the Cougars ran out of time, settling for a split against two teams from the Northeast 10 Conference this weekend. Caldwell shot better from the floor in the second half (46.2 percent) and held a 19-9 advantage at the free throw line, but Stonehill hit 49.0 percent from the field for the game.
Walker led the Cougars for the second straight game with 17 points and six rebounds. Senior forward
Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) tallied his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while junior forward
Billy McDonald (North Haven, CT/North Haven) added 10 points. Carter Smith scored 19 points to pace the Skyhawks.
Caldwell hosts Molloy College on Wednesday, Nov. 19 in the Cougars' first home game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.
