CALDWELL, N.J.- Freshman AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) netted a career-high 18 points but the Caldwell University men's basketball team lost to USciences 69-52 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action.
 
The Cougars fall to 11-9 overall and 6-6 in the CACC, while the Devils improve to 9-12 and 7-6 in conference play.
 
The Devils jumped out to an early advantage as they built a 7-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Freshman Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) scored in the paint, while freshman Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) drained a triple to give Caldwell an 8-7 lead at the 14:24 mark.
 
USciences retook the lead but Caldwell answered with a pair of three-pointers. Freshman Daan Vianen (Nieuwegein, Netherlands) drained two triples as the Cougars went back in the lead at 14-12 with 11:35 remaining in the first half.
 
The Devils pushed ahead by nine points but Vianen connected on his third from downtown to cut the score to 27-21 with 3:24 remaining in the half. USciences scored the final seven points of the half to lead 34-21 at halftime.
 
Jennings connected on a three-pointer early in the second half but the Devils extended their lead to 38-24 at the 18:21 mark. Caldwell rallied with a 13-3 run to close the gap to four points midway into the second half. Lutterman got the rally started with a bucket. Kittles accounted for the next 11 Caldwell points as he drained a pair of trifectas. He added a three-point play and capped the run with a fast break hoop to cut the score to 41-37 with 13:37 left in the game.
 
The Devils extended their lead to 12 points at 53-41 with 7:58 remaining in the contest. Kittles connected on his third three-pointer of the game to trim the score back to nine points. USciences pushed their lead back into double digits and led the rest of the way.
 
Kittles shot 3-for-7 from downtown as he finished with a career-high 18 points. He added three boards and two steals. Jennings finished with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists. Vianen tallied nine points, three boards and two assists. Senior Austin Woods (Milford, Conn.) grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Junior Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) finished with six rebounds, three assists and two steals.  

The Cougars return to the court on Wednesday, February 1 as they travel to Dominican College for a CACC North Division clash at 7:30 pm.