CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell University men's basketball team picked up an important Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over Concordia College, 94-60 Tuesday evening in the George R. Newman Center. The win breaks a tie for fourth in the CACC North standings, with the Cougars (13-12 overall) improving to 9-8 in the conference and the Clippers (11-15) dropping to 8-9.

Caldwell led from the start, building a 31-18 lead at the 8:47 mark of the first half. After a Concordia three-pointer, the Cougars reeled off a 19-9 run to close out the final eight minutes of the half, taking a commanding 50-30 halftime advantage. Senior forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) racked up 17 points and 12 rebounds in the first half, as Caldwell shot 51.5 percent from the field compared to 32.4 percent for the Clippers.

The Cougars quickly put the game out of reach in the second half, as junior guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy) hit back-to-back threes to spark a 15-5 run that made the score 65-35 with 16:19 to play. Concordia came as close as 26 points, but Caldwell would not be denied as the win avenged a loss to the Clippers in the season's first meeting on Dec. 17. The Cougars ended up shooting 50.8 percent from the field for the game while holding Concordia to 29.2 percent. Rebounding also was key, as Caldwell posted a 57-37 advantage on the glass.

Balkovic registered his 16th double-double of the season with 21 points and 17 boards while making 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. Lighty and junior forward Billy McDonald (North Haven CT/North Haven) each scored 16 points, with senior guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) adding 12 points. Junior guard Salvatore Vitello (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) delivered seven assists to go with 10 points and three steals, while junior guard Brian Kenny (Howell, NJ/Jackson Memorial) grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds to go with six points and six assists.

Peter Aguilar led all players with 29 points to go with seven rebounds.

Caldwell faces Wilmington University on the road on Saturday, Feb. 21 in another CACC contest. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. in New Castle, Del.