BRONXVILLE, N.Y.- Caldwell University men's basketball junior
Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) notched a career-high 26 points as the Cougars came up short to Concordia College 82-76 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
The Cougars fall to 4-4 on the season and 4-4 in the CACC, while the Clippers improve to 1-4 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
Concordia jumped out to a 27-16 lead midway through the opening half. The Cougars battled back as freshman
Daniel Dade Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) scored 10 points over the next seven minutes. Dade Jr. drained a pair of three-pointers including one at the 3:59 mark to trim the score to 40-38.
The Clippers pushed their lead to eight points in the final minute but sophomore
Curtis Fornchor (Baltimore, Md.) scored in the final seconds to cut the score to 49-43 at halftime.
Concordia extended their lead to nine points early in the second half but the Cougars rallied back. Caldwell used a 12-2 run over a five-minute stretch to take a one-point lead. Senior
Manley Dorme (Nanuet, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) netted four points, while Cooper capped the run with a three-point play that have the Cougars 58-57 lead with 11:28 left in the game.
The Clippers answered to retake the lead and they pushed ahead 73-62 with just under five minutes to play. Caldwell made one final run as Cooper drained a pair of trifectas in the final five minutes. Dade Jr. connected on a three-pointer with 11 seconds to play to close the gap to 79-76. Concordia hit three free throws in the final seconds to hold off the Cougars.
Cooper tallied a career-high 26 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Dade Jr. finished with a career-best 22 points and added six boards and three assists. Fornchor recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman
Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) finished with nine rebounds and five blocks.
The Cougars host Felician University for a CACC contest on Tuesday, February 23 at 6 pm. The game will be streamed on the CACC Network at caccnetwork.com.
