NYACK, N.Y.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team closed the game with 11 unanswered points in the final two minutes to rally past Nyack College for a 62-52 victory in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play.
The Cougars improve to 13-10 overall and 8-7 in the CACC, while the Warriors drop to 6-16 and 2-13 in conference play.
Nyack pushed out to an early advantage as they led 11-6 near the midway point of the opening half. Caldwell answered with 13 straight points as they took an eight-point lead. Freshman
Eric Johnson-Alford (Clifton, N.J.) totaled eight points, while freshman
Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) drained a three-pointer to give the Cougars a 19-11 lead with 5:24 left in the half. The Warriors trimmed the score down to four points as the Cougars led 24-20 at halftime.
Caldwell opened the second half strong as they used a 16-7 run to build a double-digit lead. Johnson-Alford netted seven points in the run, while freshman
Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) added a three-pointer. Senior
Austin Woods (Milford, Conn.) drained back-to-back buckets to give the Cougars a 40-27 lead with 11:39 to play in the game.
Nyack chipped away down the stretch as they pulled even at 46 with 6:06 remaining in the contest. The Warriors took the lead at 52-51 with a jumper at the 2:17 mark. Junior
Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) gave Caldwell the lead for good with a trifecta on their ensuing possession.
The Cougars held Nyack to 0-for-5 from the field and a turnover in the final two minutes with Caldwell finding success at the free throw line. Dorn connected on five free throws, while Covington added one from the line down the stretch to seal the win for Caldwell.
Johnson-Alford set a new career-best with 17 points along with two steals in the win. Covington tallied 14 points, six boards and two steals. Dorn totaled 13 points, two rebounds and three assists. Sophomore
Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) chipped in four points, six boards, six assists and three steals. Woods finished with six points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
The Cougars travel to Philadelphia University on Saturday, February 11 for a CACC match-up at 4 pm.
