PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Caldwell University men's basketball freshman Kirk Parsons (Newark, N.J.) netted a team-high 19 points, including draining the go-ahead free throws with 1.1 seconds left in the game as the Cougars roared back from a double-digit second half deficit to defeat South #2 seed Chestnut Hill College in the 2022-23 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Semifinals.
 
The Cougars improve to 20-9 on the season and advance to Sunday's championship final against host and South Division Champs Thomas Jefferson University. The Griffins end their season at 16-14.
 
With the win, the Cougars set their NCAA-era (2002-present) single season win mark with 20 victories and reach the CACC championship final for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
 
The Griffins raced out to a 13-5 lead at the 12:26 mark of the first half. Caldwell answered with an 11-1 run to pull ahead by two. Parsons drained a triple in the run, while freshman Landon Shivers (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) scored in the paint to cap the run at the 8:16 mark for a 16-14 lead. Chestnut Hill pulled away late to hold a 29-24 lead at halftime.
 
Chestnut Hill drained a pair of three-pointers to start the second half as they extended their halftime lead to 43-31 with 14:43 left in the game. Freshman Darnell Evans (Deer Park, N.Y.) and sophomore Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) each scored four points over the next two-plus minutes to help the Cougars trim the score to 45-39 at the 12:10 mark.
 
The Griffins answered as they pushed their lead back to double-digits at 49-39 midway through the half. The Cougars netted six straight points to pull to within four points at 49-4 following a pair of Evans free throws. Chestnut Hill bulged their lead to back to nine points at 56-47 with under five minutes left in the game.
 
Caldwell rallied back with a 9-2 run as sophomore Jarnel Rancy (Middle Island, N.Y.) connected on two free throws, while Parsons drained a triple. Bueno scored on back-to-back lay-ups as they pulled to within two points at 58-56. The Griffins connected on two free throws and added a triple as they pushed their lead to 63-58 with 1:40 remaining in the game. Parsons answered on the ensuing possession with a triple to cut the score to two.
 
Following a Griffin offensive foul, sophomore Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) drained his lone three-pointer of the game to give Caldwell a 64-63 lead with just over a minute to play, while Bueno added a free throw with 33 seconds left.
 
Chestnut Hill tied the game with a pair of free throws to set up Parsons for the game-winning shots from the line.
 
Parsons connected on a season-high five three-points, shooting 5-for-8 from downtown, totaling 19 points in the win. Bueno finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Evans tallied 12 points, four boards and three assists. Rancy totaled seven rebounds, six blocks and two steals, while Heber netted seven points and five rebounds.
 
The Cougars advance to the CACC Championship Final for the first time since the 2006-07 season where they will face South Division Champs and host Thomas Jefferson on Sunday, March 5 at 2:30 pm.