RUTHERFORD, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball freshman Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left in the game to lift the Cougars to a 78-76 comeback victory in their conference opener against Felician University.
 
The Cougars improve to 2-1 on the season and open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play at 1-0. The Golden Falcons drop to 0-3 and 0-1 in conference play.
 
Caldwell got off to a fast start as sophomore Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) scored the Cougars first eight points to put them up 8-2 in the first two minutes of the game. Felician answered as they used a 24-6 run to pull out to a double digit lead midway through the opening half.
 
The Cougars cut the score down to eight points at 26-18 with eight minutes left in the half. Felician scored 14 unanswered points and held a 46-30 lead at halftime.
 
The teams traded points to start the second half but the Cougars trailed 54-41 at the 16:04 mark. Caldwell made their move with 10 straight points to close to gap to three points. Jennings drained a triple and added a free throw, while senior Austin Woods (Milford, Conn.) added a pair of buckets. Freshman Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) capped the run with two from the charity stripe at the 12:21 mark as the Cougars pulled to within 54-41.
 
Felician pushed ahead by 10 points but Caldwell battled the rest of the way. The Cougars trailed by double digits for the final time at 71-61 with 4:59 left in the game. Jennings drained his fourth three-pointer of the night, while Woods added back-to-back hoops as Caldwell sliced their deficit down to three points with 71-68 with 3:10 on the clock.
 
The Golden Falcons hit a three-ball to go back in front by six points, but the Cougars trimmed the score down to one. Covington hit 1-of-2 at the line at the 1:41 mark with his second shot being a miss and rebounded by freshman Ruud Lutterman (Dalern, Netherlands). Lutterman was fouled on the play and he connected on both to close the gap to 74-71.
 
On the ensuing Felician possession, Lutterman got the steal and the fast break slam as Caldwell pulled to within 74-73 at the 1:20 mark. The Golden Falcons hit a pair at the line to retake a three-point lead.
 
Caldwell played tough defense and forced a turnover with just over a minute to go. Lutterman found space and got the dunk in the lane as the Cougars trailed 76-75 with 36 seconds left in the contest.
 
The Golden Falcons missed a shot on their ensuing possession with just seconds remaining. Covington grabbed the rebound and a quick pass to Jennings who drained his fifth three-pointer of the night, which proved to be the game-winning shot with 2.6 seconds remaining. Felician could not get a good look at a shot as time expired and the Cougars escaped with the two-point victory.
 
Jennings had a breakout performance in the win as he shot 5-for-7 from downtown, finishing with 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Harrison shot 3-for-6 from long range as he chipped in 16 points and four boards. Covington added 14 points with five rebounds and seven assists. He did most of his damage at the free throw line, shooting 10-for-13 in the game. Woods turned in a strong outing with 14 points, seven rebounds (four offensive) and four blocks. Lutterman finished with eight points and three rebounds and had key baskets down the stretch to key the victory for Caldwell.
 
The Cougars open up their home schedule this Saturday, November 9 as they welcome The Lincoln University (Pa.) for a non-conference clash at 1 pm.