LAKEWOOD, N.J.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team fell to Georgian Court University 85-79 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars fall to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in the CACC, while the Lions improve to 6-7 and 4-2 in conference play.
 
Caldwell jumped out to an early 12-7 lead over the first seven minutes of the game. Senior Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) drained a triple, while senior AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) and freshman Gabe Johnson (Bloomfield, N.J.) each scored four points.
 
The Lions rallied back to take an 18-16 lead midway through the half. The teams traded points for five minutes before Georgian Court closed the half with a late run to take a 38-32 halftime lead.
 
Georgian Court led by as much as eight points early in the second half at 45-37. Caldwell chipped away as they pulled even at 65 following a Johnson trifecta at the 6:16 mark. The Lions pushed ahead by six points at 73-67 with 3:25 to play in the game.
 
The Cougars trimmed to score down to two points following a pair of free throws by senior Ruud Lutterman (Dalem, Netherlands) with 2:22 remaining in the game. Georgian Court drained nine free thrown over the final 2:15 to hold off the Cougars down the stretch.
 
Covington led the way with 17 points, three boards and two assists. Kittles recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds along with five assists. Senior Eric Johnson-Alford (Clifton, N.J.) added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Lutterman finished with eight points and eight boards. Johnson totaled nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
The Cougars travel to the University of the Sciences for a CACC contest on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:30 pm.