CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) scored a career-high 26 points as the Cougars won their fourth in a row with a 97-79 win over Wilmington University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars improve to 12-7 overall and 8-2 in the CACC, while the Wildcats fall to 9-9 and 3-6 in conference play.
 
Heber and freshman Kirk Parsons (Newark, N.J.) connected on early three-points, while freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) converted a three-point play to help the Cougars build a 26-13 lead near the midway point of the opening half. Wilmington battled back to pull ahead 39-36 with just over a minute to play. The Cougars rallied in the final minute as Heber drained a three-pointer just before the buzzer to take a 43-42 lead into halftime.
 
Parsons connected on a triple to start the second half but the Wildcats rallied to pull ahead 51-49 at the 16:02 mark. Caldwell answered with a 15-4 run to pull ahead by nine points. Sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) drained a triple in the run, while Heber added six points as push Caldwell ahead 64-55 at the 12:13 mark.
 
The Wildcats closed the gap to 64-63 with 11:48 remaining in the game. Caldwell answered with a 16-4 run to push their lead into double digits. Parsons connected on a triple, while Heber netted seven points as the Cougars pulled ahead 80-67 with 6:18 left in the game. Wilmington got as close as nine points down the stretch but Caldwell maintained their advantage to the final buzzer.
 
Heber led the way with a career-high 26 points along with five rebounds and two assists. Parsons added 17 points, five boards, three assists and two steals, while Evans posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists with seven rebounds and four steals. Rancy tallied 14 points, six boards, two steals and four blocks.
 
The Cougars host Dominican University of New York in a CACC contest on Wednesday, January 25 at 7:30 pm.