CALDWELL, N.J.- Junior Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) tallied a game-high 20 points as the Caldwell University men's basketball team outlasted Georgian Court University 74-66 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action.
 
The Cougars improve to 12-10 overall and even their conference record to 7-7. The Lions drop to 1-22 and 1-14 in CACC play.
 
Georgian Court got off to a fast start as they built a 12-5 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Cougars rallied back with a 17-8 run to pull ahead by two points.  Freshman Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) scored six points, while senior Austin Woods (Milford, Conn.) chipped in four points in the rally. Dorn drained a triple and added a pair of free throws to put Caldwell in front 22-20 at the 7:53 mark.
 
The Lions answered as they retook the lead three minutes later. They extended their lead to as much as five points at 36-31 with 30 seconds left to play in the half. Caldwell answered in the final seconds to even the score. Dorn drained a triple with seven seconds on the clock. Freshman Daan Vianen (Nieuwegein, Netherlands) forced a turnover near half court and passed it to freshman Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) who scored as time expired to even the score at 36 at halftime.
 
The Cougars opened the second half with a 12-3 run as they built a nine-point lead in the first four minutes. Woods drained a pair of jumpers in the rally. Sophomore Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) converted a three-point play and added a trifecta at the 15:53 mark to put Caldwell in the lead at 48-39.
 
Georgian Court slowly chipped away as they climbed to within three points at 61-58 with 4:34 left in the game. Freshman Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) answered with a three-point play to push the Cougars lead back to six points. Caldwell outlasted the Lions down the stretch as Dorn connected on six free throws in the final 2:29 to seal the win.
 
Dorn totaled 20 points in the win as he connected on 14 from the free throw line. Lutterman chipped in 13 points and two boards, while Jennings posted 11 points and four rebounds. Woods shot 6-for-7 from the field as he finished with 12 points and six boards. Covington tallied seven points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Harrison totaled six points and four assists, while freshman Eric Johnson-Alford (Clifton, N.J.) grabbed six rebounds.

The Cougars return to the court on Tuesday, February 7 as they travel to Nyack College for a CACC clash at 7:30 pm.   

Following the conclusion of the men's game, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara inducted men's basketball alum Matt Stuart '94 into the conference Hall of Fame. Stuart is the first Caldwell representative in the newly created CACC Hall of Fame and is the current all-time points leader in Caldwell men's basketball history with 1,888 points.