CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore Zay Jennings (Allentown, Pa.) dropped in 22 points but the Cougars came up short to Post University 70-69 in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play.
 
The Cougars fall to 6-8 overall and 3-2 in the CACC, while the Eagles improve to 3-10 and 2-3 in conference play.
 
Jennings paced the Cougars early as he drained three trifectas over the first five minutes to help Caldwell take a 9-2 lead. Post battled back as they pushed ahead by six points late in the opening half at 24-18.
 
Caldwell ripped off eight points in a row powered by five throws by sophomore Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) to take a two-point lead. The Eagles retook a three-point late in the half at 29-26 but the Cougars rallied back in the final minute. Covington connected on a pair of triples in the final minute with the second coming just before the buzzer as the Cougars led 32-30 at the break.
 
The teams traded free throws early in the second half as Caldwell held a 37-32 lead with 17:16 left in the game. Post rallied to take a two-point lead at 39-37 with 16:06 remaining in the game.
 
The teams traded leads most of the second half with the Cougars pushing ahead 59-54 at the 7:46 mark behind triples from sophomore AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) and Covington. The Eagles battled back as they pulled ahead 67-62 with 1:51 left in the game.
 
Caldwell rallied back in the final minute as Jennings connected on a jumper and a triple to cut the score to 68-67 with just under a minute to play. The Cougars came up with a defensive stop and took a 69-68 lead on a dunk by sophomore Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) with 11.6 seconds on the clock. Post netted the winning bucket off a missed shot with .2 seconds on the clock.
 
Jennings drained five triples in the game as he finished with 22 points along with four rebounds. Covington totaled 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Kittles posted 12 points and two steals, while Lutterman chipped in nine rebounds and two blocks. Senior Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) tallied eight points, five boards and four assists.
 
The Cougars travel to Dominican College on Saturday, January 6 for a CACC clash at 3 pm.