CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball senior Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) dropped in a game-high 24 points as the Cougars notched their first win of the season with a 74-69 victory over Stonehill College to close out play at the CU Conference Challenge.
 
The Cougars even their season at 1-1, while the Skyhawks drop to 1-1.
 
In a competitive half that featured three ties and 14 lead changes, the Cougars built a 13-9 lead near the midway point of the opening half. The teams traded points through most of the half as Stonehill made a late run to lead 36-31 at the break. Cooper paced the Cougars with 13 points in the half.
 
Caldwell opened the second half with an 11-4 runs as Cooper netted four runs, while freshman Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) drained a triple. Freshman Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) capped the run with a three-point play at the 13:58 mark to put the Cougars ahead 42-40.
 
Stonehill rallied back to pull ahead 51-46 midway through the half but Heber drained back-to-back triples to put Caldwell back in the lead. The teams traded points over the next five minutes with Skyhawks holding their final lead at 60-59 with 5:34 remaining in the game.
 
The Cougars pulled away with a 9-0 run as Cooper drained a triple to give Caldwell the lead for good. Heber added a bucket, while Cooper scored in the paint as part of the run. Bueno connected on four free throws in the final minute to seal the win for the Cougars.
 
Cooper led the way with a game-high 24 points along with five steals. Heber shot 5-for-7 from downtown, finishing with 21 points and three boards. Bueno added 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in the win.
 
The Cougars return to action as they take on the University of Bridgeport at the Daniel Sullivan Memorial Tournament hosted by Dominican College on Saturday, November 20 at 5:30 pm.