CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell University men's basketball team dropped a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game to USciences, 81-73 Sunday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars are now 9-9 overall and 5-5 in the conference, while the Devils (15-4 overall) move to first place in the CACC South with a 9-2 league record.

The first half saw four ties and five lead changes over the first 16 minutes. After a three from junior guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy) and a layup by senior forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) put Caldwell ahead 29-26, USciences reeled off a 14-2 run to lead 40-31 late in the half. A basket by junior forward Vin O'Beirne (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge) just before the half expired made the halftime score 40-33 Devils. The Cougars shot 55.6 percent from the field but did not go to the free throw line in the first half.

USciences maintained the upper hand into the second half, extending the lead to 16, 59-43 with 11 minutes remaining. Four points from Balkovic and a basket by junior guard Salvatore Vitello (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) brought Caldwell to within 12, 61-49 with 9:34 to play. The Devils answered with eight straight points, including back-to-back dunks by Flo Da-Silva that gave USciences its largest lead of the game, 69-49 with 7:35 left.

Despite the 20-point deficit, the Cougars continued to battle. Ten points from Lighty sparked a 21-4 run that brought Caldwell all the way back to within three, 73-70 with two minutes on the clock. But the Cougars could only muster a three from Vitello, and the Devils hit eight free throws down the stretch to seal the win. USciences ended up making 23-of-25 from the line for the game compared to 9-of-12 for Caldwell.

Lighty, who scored a career-high 34 points in a loss to Dominican on Wednesday, led the Cougars with 21 points, four assists and two steals. Balkovic had 18 points and eight rebounds, while Vitello finished with a career-high 13 points, including three three-pointers. Garret Kerr paced USciences with 21 points and 14 rebounds, with Sho Da-Silva adding 20 points.

Caldwell plays a CACC game at Nyack College on Tuesday, Jan. 27, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Nyack, N.Y.