MONMOUTH, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball junior Ruud Lutterman (Dalem, Netherlands) posted a double-double as the Cougars were edged 85-84 by Monmouth University in a Division I Exhibition contest.
 
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead paced by five points from junior Ned Ogoemesim (Westampton, N.J.). Senior Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) added four points in the early going, while junior Daan Vianen (Nieuwegein, Netherlands) drained a triple for a 14-8 Caldwell lead midway through the first half.
 
The Hawks rallied and pulled ahead by six points with six and a half minutes left but the Cougars made a late run to take a halftime lead. Freshman Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) drained a triple, while Lutterman added a trifecta at the 4:16 mark to tie the score at 32. Vianen added a triple and a lay-up in the final minute as Caldwell led 39-36 at the break.
 
Monmouth opened the second half on a 17-6 run to pull ahead 53-45 with 14:09 left in the game. Caldwell battled back to tie the score at 77 with just over two minutes left. The Hawks answered with a triple on their next possession and held off the Cougars in the final minute of play.
 
Lutterman turned in a strong performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Cooper shot 3-for-6 from downtown as he finished with 15 points. Ogoemesim chipped in 13 points and four rebounds, while Harrison tallied 14 points, three rebounds and five assists. Vianen shot 3-for-6 from downtown for 11 points, while junior Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) posted eight points, six boards and five assists.
 
The Cougars open their 2018-19 season at the ECC-CACC Challenge on November 9 and 10 at Daemen College. Caldwell opens the season on Friday, November 9 against host Daemen at 1:30 pm. The Cougars close out the weekend on Saturday, November 10 against Roberts Wesleyan College at noon.