PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) led the way with 18 points but the Cougars fell short 75-50 to Jefferson in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Quarterfinals.
 
The Cougars end their season at 16-13 overall, while Jefferson improves to 19-13 and advance to the CACC Championship Semifinals on Saturday.
 
The Cougars held a 6-5 lead after the first four minutes of the game. The Rams pushed ahead by 10 points midway into the first half to take a 20-10 lead.  
 
Caldwell battled back as Covington drained a pair of triples to trim the score to 22-16 with just over eight minutes to play in the first half. Jefferson extended their lead to as much as 16 points with under a minute to play before a late bucket from freshman Manley Dorme (Nanuet, N.Y.) cut the score to 38-24 at halftime.
 
Jefferson pushed their advantage to as much as 21 points over the first four minutes of the second half. The Rams maintained their lead as they held a 57-37 lead with 11:10 remaining in the game.
 
Caldwell rallied back over the final 11 minutes as they cut the score down to one point with under a minute to play. Covington led the Cougars back with nine points as part of a 33-14 run. Sophomore Eric Johnson-Alford (Clifton, N.J.) added six points in the rally. Senior Derek Dorn (New Rochelle, N.Y.) drained five free throws, while junior Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) connected on a free throw with under a minute to play to cut the score to 71-70.
 
The Rams answered as they got a key bucket with 18 seconds left and added a pair of free throws to hold off the Cougars in the final seconds.
 
Covington led the way with 18 points, four assists and three rebounds. Dorn tallied 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in his final game for the Cougars. Sophomore Ruud Lutterman (Gorinchem, Netherlands) chipped in 12 points and five rebounds, while Johnson-Alford totaled 11 points and four boards.