ALBANY, N.Y.- The Caldwell University men's basketball team saw their post season run come to an end as the Cougars fell to top seed St. Thomas Aquinas College 95-72 in the 2021 NCAA Division II Championship East Regional Semifinals.
 
The Cougars end their season at 6-5 on the season, while the Spartans improve to 14-1 and advance to Tuesday's East Regional championship final.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas scored the first 10 points of the game. The Cougars battled back as they closed the gap to 25-23 midway through the opening half. Graduate Gerald Blount (Jersey City, N.J.) and freshman Ty-Shon Pannell (Central Islip, N.Y.) drained three-pointers in the run. Junior Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) added a four-point play and a trifecta to help rally the Cougars. Freshman Daniel Dade Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) connected on two triples and capped the run with two free throws at the 9:55 mark.
 
The Spartans answered as they scored the next eight points to push their lead into double digits and held a 54-39 halftime lead. Cooper and Dade Jr. each netted 12 points in the half.
 
St. Thomas Aquinas maintained their double-digit lead into the second half to advance to the regional final.
 
Cooper and Pannell led the Cougars with 21 points each, while Dade Jr. added 16 points. Cooper pitched in eight rebounds, while Pannell connected on six trifectas. Dade Jr. recorded four boards and four assists in the loss.