WILMINGTON Del.- Caldwell University men's basketball senior Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) scored 26 points as the Cougars fell to Goldey-Beacom College 86-76 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars fall to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the CACC, while the Lightning improve to 7-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
 
The teams traded leads early as junior Tyler Washington (Englewood, N.J.), freshman Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) and freshman Nichus Jackson (Trenton, N.J.) drained triples to give Caldwell an 18-15 lead at the 11:23 mark.
 
Goldey-Beacom pushed ahead 25-22 with 6:15 left in the half but the Cougars battled back as sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) scored at the 3:57 mark to give Caldwell a 26-25 lead. The Lightning closed the half with a late run to take a 38-28 lead at halftime.
 
The Lightning extended their lead to 57-44 early in the second half. The Cougars battled back as freshman Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) converted a three-point play at the 4:13 mark to close the gap to 70-65. Goldey-Beacom scored seven straight points and held off the Cougars down the stretch.
 
Cooper led the way with 26 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Washington added 14 points and six boards, while Heber totaled 13 points and five rebounds. Bueno posted seven points, five steals and four boards, while Rancy recorded five blocks. Graduate Gerald Blount (Jersey City, N.J.) grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds.
 
The Cougars host Bloomfield College on Tuesday, January 18 a CACC contest at 7:30 pm.