CALDWELL, N.J- Caldwell University men's basketball junior Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) netted a career-best 24 points as the Cougars came up short to Bloomfield College 86-79 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.  
 
The Cougars fall to 5-3 overall 2-1 in the CACC, while the Bears improve to 3-4 and 1-0 in conference play.
 
Prior to the game, Caldwell University dedicated the George R. Newman Center playing court to Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics and Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark A. Corino. The ceremony began with a tribute video to Coach Corino that included photos from his 31 years as head coach and athletics director at Caldwell.
 
CACC Commissioner Dan Mara congratulated Coach Corino and along with Coach Corino's long-time conference colleague Sheila Wooten, Director of Athletics of Bloomfield College, honored the Caldwell coach.
 
Caldwell mayor Ann Dassing and West Caldwell mayor Joe Tempesta Jr. presented Coach Corino with proclamations from their respective towns, declaring December 8, 2018 as Mark A. Corino Day.
 
Caldwell President Dr. Nancy Blattner thanked Coach Corino for his committment to Caldwell and on behalf of the Caldwell University Board of Trustees officially dedicated Mark A. Corino Court.
 
The Bears opened up a 12-6 lead over the first four minutes of the game. The Cougars answered with a 22-8 run over the next seven minutes to pull ahead by eight points. Covington drained a pair of triples as he totaled eight points in the run. Sophomore Manley Dorme (Nanuet, N.Y.) added eight points with his lay-up at the 8:44 mark putting Caldwell in front 28-20.
 
Bloomfield battled back to tie the score at 35 with 3:35 left in the first half. Caldwell retook a four-point lead but a late run by the Bears gave then a 42-41 lead at halftime.
 
The Bears opened up a 12-point lead at 61-49 with 14:27 left to play in the game. Caldwell rallied with a 9-2 run to cut the score to five points. Senior Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) and junior Ned Ogoemesim (Westampton, N.J.) each drained triples in the run. Junior AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) converted a three-point play at the 10:32 mark to trim the score to 63-58.
 
Bloomfield extended their lead to 10 points with five minutes left in the game and hit 11 free throws down the stretch to hold off the Cougars.
 
Covington set a new career best with 24 points and tied a career-high with six three-pointers. He added three steals in the game. Harrison totaled 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kittles finished with 16 points and five rebounds, while Ogoemesim recorded nine points and seven boards.
 
The game was featured as part of the NCAA Division II Showcase package and was televised on the CACC Network, various social media platforms and FIOS1 News channel.
 
The Cougars head to the Sunshine State for three games in Florida. Caldwell opens their road trip as they take on Palm Beach Atlantic University on Sunday, December 16 at 1:00 pm.