CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team got off to a hot shooting first half as they connected on 13 of their first 14 shots from the field on their way to a 101-68 victory against The Lincoln University in their home opener.
 
The Cougars improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Lions drop to 0-4.
 
Caldwell found the shooting touch from the opening tip as they hit their first eight shots from the field to start the game and shot 13-of-14 in the first 10 minutes of the game to pull out a double digit lead. The Cougars also hit their first eight from downtown, which stretched until the 7:05 mark of the first half.
 
Freshman Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) netted three treys, totaling 11 points in the first 13 minutes, while freshman Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) and junior Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) each knocked down a pair. Freshman Daan Vianen (Nieuwegein, Netherlands) added the final one from long range as Caldwell pulled ahead 45-25 at the 7:45 mark of the opening half. Senior Austin Woods (Milford, Conn.) netted six points in the early going, while sophomore Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) posted seven points to help Caldwell take control of the game.
 
Caldwell cooled off to close the first half but shot 73.3% (22-for-30) in the opening half. Dorn led the Cougars with 13 and Jennings totaled 11 in the first 20 minutes of play as Caldwell led 61-38 at the break.
 
The Cougars continued their solid play into the second half as they extended their lead to 32 points over the first five minutes. Caldwell maintained their double-digit lead to the final buzzer as the Cougars earned a win in their home opener for a fourth consecutive season.
 
Five players reached double figures in the win led by Dorn and Harrison who both finished with 15 points. Dorn chipped in five rebounds and four assists, while Harrison added three assists and three steals. Covington shot 3-for-4 from downtown, finishing with 13 points, seven assists, three boards and three steals. Jennings tallied 11 points, four rebounds and three assists, while freshman Ruud Lutterman (Dalern, Netherlands) posted 12 points and four boards. Woods recorded eight points, four rebounds and three blocks, while Vianen contributed eight points and five rebounds.
 
The game marked a pair a rare milestones as the Cougars reached 100 points for the first time since January 10, 2015. In that game, Caldwell defeated Dominican College 103-68 which marked Head Coach Mark A. Corino's 515th career win, passing former Princeton University Head Coach Pete Carril for second place in wins for NJ coaches. The 61 points in the first half was also last achieved on December 15, 2012 as Caldwell scored 61 points in the second half against Felician College (now University) on their way to a 105-63 win against the Golden Falcons.
The Cougars open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play on Tuesday, November 22 as they host Nyack College at the Newman Center at 7:30 pm.