WATERBURY, Conn. – Junior point guard Bol Akot scored a game-high 22 points for Post University Men's Basketball while junior point guard Robert Sanders followed close behind with 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting, but a 45.3% shooting day for Caldwell University propelled the Cougars past the Eagles, 92-80, ending the two-game winning streak for Post, and giving them their first conference loss of the season. 
 
THE BASICS

#23/#11/16 Post University 80, Caldwell University 92

#23/#11/16 Post University (12-3, 3-1 CACC)

Caldwell University (7-7, 3-2 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Speed would be the name of the game in the first half for both sides, but ultimately the score at the end of 20 minutes would boil down to the turnovers. Coughing up the ball nine times, the Eagles would allow 12 points off turnovers while just two Caldwell turnovers resulted in two points for Post. The Eagles would shoot an impressive 43.3% from the floor after going 13-for-30 overall, but a 50% performance from three-point land (5-for-10) would be what kept them in the contest.
 
Behind a team-high 10 first-half points from sophomore guard Darnell Evans and contributions from eight different Cougar players, the lead for the visitors would balloon to as many as 13 points, 25-12, with 11:11 left which forced Head Coach Marc Kuntz to call a timeout for his team. With a patient attack over the next eight minutes, the Eagles would trim their deficit to just two points, 37-35, with 3:39 to go before an 8-1 run for Caldwell put them ahead by nine, 45-36, heading into the half.
 
Similar to the Eagles, the Cougars would shoot above 50% from three in the first half with a 6-for-11 effort (54.5%) and overall go 15-for-36 from the field (41.7%). A strong 4-for-7 half from Akot for a total of 11 points led the way for Post in working to keep the deficit tight down the stretch of a hot shooting half from Caldwell.
 
After starting the half 0-for-4 from the floor, the Post offense would start to get things going, hitting 8-of-15 shots which included two threes over the first 10 minutes of the frame. But the Cougars would match the Eagles at every turn with a perfect 3-for-3 start from three that helped them break open a 17-point edge, 66-49, with 11:42 left.
 
Relentlessly trying to work their way back into the affair, a 10-0 run which featured five points from freshman point guard Ta'Quan Williams, the Post deficit quickly dropped to just seven only 1:30 later, 66-59, as the halfway point of the second half passed. From there, the Cougars would punch back again and not allow the Caldwell lead to shrink below double digits until there was 1:27 left in the game before free throws down the stretch gave them a 92-80 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Bol Akot led Post with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting while going a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the free throw line
• Deng Deang had his 14^th game in double figures as he scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting
• With only 10 forced turnovers, Post University had their third lowest total in forced turnovers with the lowest being eight against Daemen and Felician
• Post University has now lost four consecutive games against Caldwell dating back to the 2021-22 season with their last win coming on January 11^th, 2022 at home, 88-63
• Against teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, Post University now holds a 4-2 record with the other loss coming against Southern New Hampshire University at home earlier this season – Caldwell University made it to the dance last year after winning the CACC Championship last season

WHO'S NEXT
Post University will go on the road for a pair of Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchups with the first one coming on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM against Jefferson University. The Eagles have struggled against the Rams throughout the history of the head-to-head, going 4-21 in 25 total games. Post has lost four of the last five matchups with their lone win in that stretch coming last year at home by 15 points, 76-61, before Jefferson avenged the loss later on in the month with an 86-73 victory on their home court.