PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Caldwell University men's basketball senior Eric Johnson-Alford (Clifton, N.J.) netted 21 points as the Cougars outlasted Chestnut Hill College 90-71 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars improve to 10-7 overall and 6-3 in the CACC, while the Griffins fall to 3-14 and 3-5 in conference play.
 
The Griffins pulled ahead 22-12 midway through the opening half. The Cougars chipped away at their lead for most of the half as senior Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) drained a game-tying three-pointer at the 3:00 mark for even the score at 38. Covington added a late jumper to help the Cougars take a 43-40 lead at halftime.
 
Chestnut Hill surged ahead to start the second half as they pulled ahead 51-46 with 16:30 left in the game. Caldwell rallied back with a 13-1 run over the next five minutes. Covington connected on a trifecta in the run. Johnson-Alford netted seven points in the run, including a three-point play, to help Caldwell push ahead 59-52 near the midway point of the half.
 
The Griffins closed the gap to three points at 69-66 with 6:13 left in the game, but the Cougars pulled away with a 21-5 run to close out the game. Sophomore Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) netted five points, including a three-pointer, while Johnson-Alford added nine points down the stretch to help the Cougars to the win.
 
Johnson-Alford led the way with 21 points, eight boards and five steals in the win. Covington added 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while senior AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) totaled 15 points and three boards. Cooper posted 15 points, while junior Manley Dorme (Nanuet, N.Y.) recorded 10 points.
 
The Cougars host Felician University for a CACC contest on Tuesday, January 21 at 7:30 pm.