CALDWELL, N.J.- Senior
Billy McDonald (North Haven, CT) posted a double-double as the Caldwell University men's basketball team rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Post University Eagles 75-51 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play.
The Cougars improve to 6-13 overall and 4-8 in the CACC, while the Eagles fall to 9-8 and 5-5 in conference play.
The Eagles got off to a quick start as they led 17-2 in the first five and a half minutes of the game. The Cougars stepped their play on both ends of the court as they used a 32-5 run over the next 13 minutes of play to flip the score in their favor. McDonald and fellow senior
Salvatore Vitello (Bridgewater, NJ) each netted 10 points in the run as Caldwell pulled ahead 34-22 with 1:19 left in the opening half. Post netted a few points late but the Cougars led 36-27 at the break. Caldwell shot 60% in the opening half, while Post shot 44% from the field.
Post got as close as eight points early in the second half but the Cougars pulled away with another big run. Caldwell used a 20-5 run over an eight minute stretch to push their lead to 23 points near the midway point of the second half. Freshman
Ahmad Harrison (Newark, NJ) netted a triple as he totaled seven points, while senior
Brian Kenny (Howell, NJ) added four points in the run as the Cougars pushed ahead 58-35 with 10:09 left in the game. Caldwell maintained their lead to the final buzzer to earn a come from behind victory.
For the Cougars, McDonald's double-double led the way for Caldwell. He shot 9-for-14 from the field as he finished with 21 points and 10 caroms. Vitello connected on 2-of-3 from downtown as he tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Kenny chipped in 12 points, four boards and three assists, while freshman
Ned Ogoemesim (Westampton, NJ) added eight points and eight rebounds.
Caldwell shot a season-high 56.3% from the field while Post shot 41.5% from the field. The Cougars also allowed a season-low 51 points to the Eagles to key their victory.
The Cougars hit the road this weekend as they travel to Holy Family University on Saturday, January 30 for a 3 pm tip.