BLOOMFIELD, N.J.- Senior
Billy McDonald (North Haven, CT) scored 21 points as the Caldwell University men's basketball team fell in overtime 79-76 to the Bloomfield College Bears in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game.
The Cougars fall to 4-9 overall and 2-4 in the CACC, while the Bears improve to 4-8 and 4-2 in conference play.
The Bears took an early lead as they raced out to a 12-4 lead at the 16:29 mark. Caldwell chipped away as they pulled even at 16-16 near the midway point of the half. Senior
Salvatore Vitello (Bridgewater, NJ) and freshman
Ahmad Harrison (Newark, NJ) netted three's in the rally as the Cougars evened the score.
Bloomfield pushed ahead by as much as 14 points at the 5:12 mark but Caldwell chipped away to close to within seven points. McDonald netted a pair at the line, while senior
Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ) scored five points as the Cougars closed the gap to seven points at 37-30 with 2:47 left in the half. Bloomfield scored the final eight points of the half to lead 45-30 at the break.
The Bears maintained a lead over the course of the second half as they led by 12 points at 64-52 with 5:46 remaining in regulation. Caldwell rallied back as they closed the second half on a 16-4 run to pull even. McDonald dropped in six points, while Harrison converted a three-point play in the run. Vitello connected on a triple, while freshman
Thomas Elliott-Smith (Plymouth, England) capped the run with a lay-up with just under a minute to play to knot the score at 68. The Bears missed a shot on their final possession and the teams headed to overtime.
In the extra period, Bloomfield scored the first six points to go ahead 74-68 midway through overtime. Caldwell got as close as two points following at lay-up by senior
Brian Kenny (Howell, NJ) with 25 seconds left. Bloomfield connected on a free throw in the final seconds to take the win.
For the Cougars, McDonald led the way with 21 points and six rebounds, while Lighty finished with 14 points and seven boards. Elliott-Smith netted nine points and five rebounds, while Vitello tallied six points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Cougars continue conference play as they travel to the University of the Sciences on Wednesday, January 6 for an 8 pm tip-off.
