PEREZ LEADS COUGARS TO OVERTIME VICTORY OVER DEVILS,
71-66
2-21-06
box score
 PHILADELPHIA,
Pa. - Sophomore forward Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg
Harbor), right, scored a game-high 25 points, including six during overtime, as the
Caldwell College men's basketball team defeated the University of Sciences,
71-66 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match-up Tuesday night in
Philadelphia, Pa. The win secures a top three seed and the right to host a
quarterfinal game in next week's CACC Tournament for the Cougars, who are now
17-12 overall and 13-8 in the conference. The Devils fall to 11-15, 9-12 CACC.
With the game tied at 61-61 after regulation, junior guard Jean
Georges (Vauxhal, NJ/Spotswood) began the overtime period with a
lay-up to put Caldwell in front. The Devils went three straight
possessions without scoring before Perez's lay-up with 2:41 left gave
the Cougars a 65-61 advantage. Caldwell then made all six of its free
throw attempts, including four from Perez in the final 13 seconds, to
clinch the victory.
In the first half, an 11-0 run sparked by five points from sophomore
guard Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance) and four from senior
forward Teren Scudder (Paterson, NJ/Paterson Catholic) helped
Caldwell erase a five-point deficit and take a 17-11 lead with 7:07 left
in the half. But the Devils used an 8-2 spree of their own to tie the
game at 19-19 with 4:35 on the clock. A Perez lay-up and a three-pointer
from freshman guard Carl Augustin (Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco
Prep) put the Cougars ahead 24-19, only to have USP answer with a
William Kurtz three and a basket by Michael Mullane. The teams exchanged
baskets the rest of the half, sending the game into halftime tied at
28-28.
USP held the upper hand for the majority of the second half, leading by
as many as seven points. With the Devils up 53-46 after another
three-pointer from Kurtz, the Cougars scored six straight points to cut
the deficit to 53-52 with 4:21 remaining. After a pair of free throws by
Collin Harrington pushed the Devils' lead to 55-52, Perez's dunk and
ensuing free throw after he was fouled knotted the score at 55-55 with
3:21 on the clock. Harrington and sophomore forward B.J. Suchy
(Ronkonkoma, NY/Our Savior) exchanged baskets, then Eric Cangelosi
missed a pair of free throws, underscoring the troubles the Devils
experienced at the line. USP made just 51.7 percent from the charity
stripe.
 Perez
took advantage with a put-back that gave Caldwell a 59-57 lead with 1:32
left. After Howard Lanier answered for USP with a lay-up at the
one-minute mark, senior guard Kelvin Reese (Teaneck, NJ/Teaneck)
hit two free throws with 46 second to go to restore the Cougars'
two-point lead. On the Devils' next possession, Cangelosi nailed a
jumper to tie the game with 31 second on the clock. Suchy's attempt to
win the game was off the mark, sending the game into overtime.
With both teams shooting under 40 percent from the field, free throw
shooting proved to be the difference, as Caldwell made 21-of-26 (80.8
percent) from the line. Perez, who was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe,
also grabbed 13 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the
season. Perez has scored 980 points in his career, leaving him just 20
points shy of becoming the 12th men's basketball player at Caldwell to
score 1,000 points. Georges and Scudder (left) finished with 10 points
apiece, and Sabree had nine points in the win. Kurtz led the Devils with
21 points, including five three-pointers.
The Cougars close out the regular season with a home game against
Philadelphia University on Saturday, Feb. 25. Seniors Reese, Scudder and
Mark Kelly (Oakhurst, NJ/Ocean Twp.) will be honored before they
play in their final regular-season home game wearing the Scarlet, White
and Gold. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman
Center.
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