CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team rallied from a first half deficit to defeat Nyack College 88-79 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action.
The Cougars win their fourth in a row to improve to 4-1 and stay unbeaten in conference play at 2-0. The Warriors fall to 3-2 and 0-1 in the CACC.
Nyack built an early lead as they pulled ahead 19-9 at the 12:54 mark of the opening half. Caldwell battled back behind a 20-11 run over the next six minutes. Freshman
Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) drained a pair of triples, while freshman
Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) added a three-point play along with a pair of free throws.
Junior
Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) chipped in seven points as the Cougars trimmed the score down to 30-29 with 6:51 left in the half. The Warriors kept Caldwell at bay the rest of the half as they connected on a buzzer beater to lead 45-40 at the break.
Caldwell opened the second half with determination as they raced into the lead with a 17-9 run. Jennings and sophomore
Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) each hit one from long range, while freshman
Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) netted four points to bring the Cougars in front 57-54 with 13:28 to play in the game.
The next eight minutes featured six ties and two leads changes as the teams battled for control of the game. Caldwell emerged on the plus side with under five minutes to go in the game. Nyack pulled even at 69 with 4:41 on the clock. The Cougars answered with a 10-0 to push ahead and seize the momentum. Dorn got things rolling with a three-point play and added a triple at the 2:33 mark.
Caldwell headed to the free throw line in the final two minutes as they went 13-of-15 to seal the deal. Covington went 5-of-6, while Kittles was perfect at 6-for-6 at the line down the stretch.
For the game, Covington shot 12-for-14 from the line, totaling 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jennings drained 2-of-4 from downtown, tallying 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Harrison finished with 12 points on 2-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. Dorn provided a key spark off the bench with 20 point and made 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Lutterman chipped in six points and six boards.
The Cougars host the University of Bridgeport on Saturday, November 26 at 1 pm at the Newman Center.
