CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team fell short to Wilmington 75-69 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars fall to 12-10 and 8-6 in the CACC, while the Wildcats improve to 8-15 and 6-8 in conference play.
 
The Wildcats opened the game with a 21-9 run over the first eight minutes of the game. The Cougars closed the gap to 23-17 midway through the half led by six points from senior Ruud Lutterman (Dalem, Netherlands).
 
Wilmington extended their lead to double-digits late in the half but the Cougars battled back. Senior Vaughn Covington (Sicklerville, N.J.) drained a triple, while Lutterman added six points to help Caldwell cut the score to 37-32 at halftime.
 
The Wildcats extended their lead to as much as 11 points at 55-44 with 11:12 remaining in the game. The Cougars rallied back down the stretch as Covington drained a triple and freshman Gabe Johnson (Bloomfield, N.J.) added a bucket in the final three minutes to trim the score to 67-64 with 2:14 to play.
 
Wilmington pushed ahead by nine points but Caldwell made one final run. Covington connected on a pair of trifectas in the final minute to close the gap to 73-69 but two Wilmington free throws with 32 seconds left to stymie the Cougar comeback.
 
Lutterman led the way with 23 points and seven rebounds. Covington tallied 16 points, three boards, five assists and two steals. Senior Ned Ogoemesim (Westampton, N.J.) added eight points and six rebounds, while senior AJ Kittles (Glassboro, N.J.) totaled eight points and 12 boards.
 
The Cougars travel to Concordia College for a CACC contest on Wednesday, February 12 at 7:00 pm.