ALBANY, N.Y.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore
Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) dropped in 16 points as the Cougars fell in their 2017-18 season opener 74-56 to The College of Saint Rose.
Caldwell opens the season at 0-1, while the Golden Knights improve to 1-0.
The Golden Knights took the lead early in the game as they built a 23-11 lead midway through the opening half. Caldwell battled back as senior
Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) drained a triple as part of a 9-0 run to cut the score to three points. Sophomore
AJ Kittles (Sicklerville, N.J.), junior
Thomas Elliott-Smith (Plymouth, England) and Jennings each connected on shots to help the Cougars close the gap to 23-20 with just over eight minutes to play.
Saint Rose stretched their lead to as much as eight points but Caldwell rallied over the final two minutes. Sophomore
Ned Ogoemesim (Westampton, N.J.) scored four points over the final two minutes as the Cougars trailed 36-31 at halftime.
The Cougars rallied back to start the second half as they opened with a 12-5 run to take a two-point lead. Sophomore
Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) scored six points, while Dorn and Jennings each added two points. Freshman
Manley Dorme (Nanuet, N.Y.) capped the run at the 12:40 mark with a lay-up to give the Cougars a 43-41 lead.
Saint Rose answered with a run as they pushed ahead by double digits late in the half. The Golden Knights maintained their lead to the final buzzer.
Jennings led the way with 16 points and five rebounds, while Lutterman finished with 10 points and three boards. Dorn tallied seven points, three assists and two steals, while Dorne posted six points and six rebounds. Ogoemesim chipped in six points and four rebounds, while Kittles added five points and four boards.
The Cougars wrap up play at the NE-10-CACC Challenge hosted by the College of Saint Rose on Sunday, November 12 with a 12 pm match-up against Le Moyne College.
