CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell University men's basketball team survived a barrage of three-pointers by Molloy College to win, 80-77 in the first home game of the season Wednesday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars improve to 2-1 overall, while the Lions drop to 2-1.

Caldwell took control of the game early, answering a game-opening three from Matt McLeod with 18 consecutive points to build an 18-3 lead at the 14:28 mark. The bulge grew to as many as 19 points, with the Cougars taking a 33-14 lead with 9:23 left in the first half. But the Lions picked away at the deficit by hitting threes, closing out the half with a 26-11 run to make the halftime score 44-40 Caldwell. Molloy drained 10 three-pointers in 19 attempts in the first period, including four from Kevin Bowles, to stay in the game. The Cougars countered with junior guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy), who was 4-of-4 from beyond the arc en route to 17 first-half points. Caldwell shot a red-hot 64.3 percent from the floor compared to 41.7 percent for Molloy.

Another three from McLeod, plus two free throws by Charlie Marquardt, completed the Lions' comeback and gave the visitors a 45-44 lead a minute into the second half. A 10-0 run sparked by threes from Lighty and senior guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) put the Cougars back on top, 54-45 with 16:40 to play. A 12-4 run allowed Molloy to make it a one-point game, 60-59 with 11 minutes left. The Lions pulled to within one point three more times in the half, with Caldwell maintaining the lead each time.

With four minutes to play, a layup by senior forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) put the Cougars ahead, 74-70. Molloy answered with baskets from McLeod and Jaylen Morris, and a three by Bowles to put the Lions on top, 77-74 with 1:45 remaining. Two free throws from Lighty and a defensive stop by the Cougars set the stage for junior forward Billy McDonald (North Haven, CT/North Haven), whose spinning layup attempt dropped in with 40 seconds left for a 78-77 Caldwell lead. Again the defense stepped up, forcing a turnover to regain possession. After Walker made two free throws, Miles Prendergast was fouled with less than two seconds on the clock. His free throw was off the mark and Lighty came up with the rebound, ending the game.

Caldwell ended up shooting 58.8 percent from the floor for the game, including 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) from three-point range. Lighty scored a game-high 23 points and was 5-of-6 from the three-point line, with Walker adding 14 points and two steals. McDonald had 12 points, while Balkovic registered 12 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Junior forward Vin O'Beirne (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge) made all four of his attempts from the floor and both of his free throws to finish with a career-high 10 points. Molloy ended up with 15 threes, including five from Bowles and four from Brandon Williams, who had 22 points.

The Cougars play at the NYIT Tournament this weekend, starting with Friday's game against the host Bears. Game time is at 7:30 p.m. in Old Westbury, N.Y.