CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University men's basketball freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) dropped in a career-high 34 points to power the Cougars past Wilmington University 86-77 in the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Quarterfinals.
 
The Cougars improve to 19-9 on the season and advance to Saturday's semifinals hosted by Thomas Jefferson University. The Wildcats end their season at 16-13.
 
Evans drained a pair of three-pointers, while sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) added a trifecta as Caldwell built a 26-18 lead with 7:14 left in the opening half. The Wildcats battled back as they closed the gap to 33-30 with 3:32 remaining in the half.
 
The Cougars heated up late in the half as they raced to the break with a 15-3 run over the final three minutes. Freshman Kirk Parsons (Newark, N.J.) drained a triple, while Evans netted 10 points in the run. Evans converted three free throws after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt and converted a three-point play in the waning seconds to cap the rally and give Caldwell a 48-33 lead at halftime.
 
Caldwell extended their halftime lead as freshman Landon Shivers (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) registered a put-back dunk early in the second half, while Heber added four points to push the score to 56-38 at the 15:10 mark.
 
Wilmington rallied back as they pulled to within three points at 62-59 with 9:00 left in the game. Caldwell answered with seven straight points as Evans and Parsons both went 2-for-2 at the free throw line in the run. Heber converted a three-point play to cap the run and push the Cougars advantage to 69-59 with 6:29 to play. The Wildcats got as close as five points down the stretch but sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) had two key baskets on back-to-back possessions. Sophomore Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) had a key three-point play, while Evans and Heber combined for five free throws over the final 1:12 to outpace the Wildcats.
 
Evans shot 8-for-16 from the field and hit a career-best 16 free throws, finishing with a new career-high 34 points along with seven rebounds and three assists. Heber tallied 16 points, three boards and four assists, while Parsons netted 12 points. Bueno added nine points and five rebounds in the win.
 
The Cougars advance to the CACC Championship Semifinals for the first time since the 2016-17 season where they will face South #2 Chestnut Hill College on Saturday, March 4 at 5 pm. The semifinals will be held at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa.