WATERBURY, Conn.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) dropped in a career-high 25 points to power the Cougars past Post University 81-77 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars improve to 9-7 overall and 5-2 in the CACC, while the Eagles fall to 8-8 and 3-4 in conference play.
 
Post opened up a 13-7 lead at the 12:35 mark of the opening half. Caldwell rallied to cut the score to 21-16 with 7:29 left tin the first half. The Cougars answered with 13 straight points over the next three-plus minutes to pull ahead by eight points.
 
Freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) scored four points, while Heber added five points, including capping the run with a three-pointer at the 4:10 mark to give Caldwell a 29-21 lead. The Eagles cut the score to four points late in the half but a late Heber bucket gave the Cougars a 38-32 lead at halftime.
 
Caldwell extended their halftime lead to as much as 14 points at 54-40 with 12:53 to play in the game. The Eagles slowly trimmed to score down the stretch, pulling to within two points at 79-77 with under a minute to play. Heber connected on a pair of late free throws to seal the victory for the Cougars.
 
Heber shot 10-for-15 from the field and 2-for-4 from downtown, finishing with a career-high 25 points along with four rebounds. Evans chipped in 20 points, three boards and two steals, while sophomore Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) totaled 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds along with four blocks, three assists and two steals.  
 
The Cougars travel to Georgian Court University for a CACC contest on Saturday, January 14 at 2 pm.