Box Score
CALDWELL, N.J. – Junior
Devin Willis (Seattle, Wash.) of the Post University men's basketball team hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Eagles over the host Caldwell Cougars in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest on Saturday afternoon. The final score was 60-57. Willis netted a team-high 16 points and shot 6-for-12 from the field.
Junior
Jerry Cummings (Queens, N.Y.) turned in his second straight double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double of the season. Classmates
Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and
Effrin Ellison (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. Senior
Jake Wilcox (Kent, Wash.) notched six assists and scored three points, all at the foul line.
Post (11-6, 7-3 CACC) trailed 57-53 with 1:02 to play when Wilcox hit a pair of free throws to pull the Eagles within two. After the defense caused a Caldwell (5-12, 1-7 CACC) turnover, Willis hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation to give Post a 58-57 lead. On the ensuing Cougars' possession, Cummings drew a charge and the Eagles made a pair of foul shots to ice the game.
Trailing 32-23 with 19:00 to play in the second half, Post used an 11-0 run over a span of 3:18 to claim a 34-32 lead, its first of the day. Willis and Krischer capped the spurt with consecutive triples.
After a Cummings layup made the score 9-6 in favor of Caldwell with 16:07 left in the first half, the Cougars used an 11-2 run over a span of 7:15 to build a 20-8 advantage with 8:34 to go in the stanza. The Eagles scored five of the final seven points of the half to make the halftime deficit seven points, 30-23. Willis hit a pair of free throws and Ellison nailed a triple with 1:36 to go for the period's final basket.
For the game, Post shot 42 percent (21-for-50) from the field. Caldwell, the CACC's top field goal shooting team, shot 48 percent (24-for-50) from the floor and held a 33-25 advantage on the boards. Defensively, the Eagles limited the Cougars to just 2-for-13 shooting from distance.
The win marked the seventh straight in the all-time series with Caldwell and is now the longest active win streak against a CACC member. Post has swept the regular season series with Caldwell each of the last three seasons. It was also the second straight victory for the Eagles.
Post will wrap up a two-game road swing at Concordia on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Bronxville, N.Y. The Eagles defeated the Clippers in their home opener 87-70 on Nov. 20.
