PHILADELPHIA - Senior forward Derrick Bueno (Palisades Park, N.J.) scored a game-high 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor, adding three steals and seven rebounds to lead Caldwell men's basketball to a 67-58 non-league triumph over Jefferson on Wednesday at the Gallagher Center.

After a first half that saw the Cougars (16-9) fall behind by 10 early, then battling back to tie the game before settling for a two-point deficit at the intermission, the teams traded leads through the first 10 minutes of the second. The Cougars took their largest lead of the game to date of 54-50 on a pair of free throws and layup by junior guard Melvin Evans (Bronx, N.Y.), giving Caldwell the edge for good. Then clinging to a 57-56 lead, a layup by Bueno with 4:34 left followed by a clutch three by sophomore guard Jaiden Williams (New York) pushed the visitors' lead to six with 2:50 to play.

The Cougars defense clamped down, permitting just two points, both on free throws, by the Rams (14-11) in the last five minutes of the game to earn the victory.

Evans finished with 13 points, Williams added 12 and senior guard Kirk Parsons (Newark, N.J.) pitched in 11. Williams and junior forward DeAngelo Horn (Castle Rock, Colo.) each had eight rebounds.

Caldwell next hosts CACC North leader in a key league matchup on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Newman Center.