CALDWELL, N.J. – It was one of those conference games on Wednesday evening for both Post University Men's Basketball and Caldwell University in which neither team could find their rhythm. Despite one of their lowest team shooting games of the season at 35% (21-for-60), the Eagles led the Cougars for the final 1:51 of the first half until there were 20 seconds left in regulation following a layup from senior forward Derrick Bueno which ended up being the difference maker in Post's 57-56 loss to Caldwell as sophomore guard Ta'Quan Williams' buzzer-beating jumper rimmed out. 

THE BASICS

Post University 56, Caldwell University 57

Post University (10-9, 4-3 CACC)
 
Caldwell University (12-5, 4-2 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
In one of the more lopsided first halves of the season, Post started off the first 13:15 of the game shooting 4-for-22 (18.1%) from the field while over a near similar stretch Caldwell shot just 5-for-11 (45.4%). Up to that point, the Cougars held a five-point lead, 15-10, largely in part due to the turnover ratio. While the Eagles trailed 15-8, sophomore guard Ta'Quan Williams and senior guard Bol Akot helped spark a 7-0 run that gave Post the lead by one, 16-15, before being met with a 6-0 run in response by freshman guard Jaryn Bull and the Cougar offense.

Over the final 3:33 of the half, it was the Eagles once again responding with a run of their own as Akot's four points on a 9-0 run put Post on top by four points and into the halftime break with a 25-23 lead after a layup by sophomore guard Jaiden Williams to close out the half. Akot led Post with eight points on 4-of-8 shooting while junior forward DeAngelo Horn had five points to lead Caldwell who had three players with at least six rebounds.

As a team, Post's offense shot just 11-for-37 (29.7%) overall while making 1-of-9 (11.1%) of their three-point attempts and was outrebounded by a gaudy 23-12 margin. However, it was the defense that sustained the Eagles who did not turn the ball over at all in the first half while forcing 14 Cougar turnovers that resulted in 14 of their 25 first-half points. This led to Caldwell shooting just 8-for-18 from the floor, which was a 44.4% shooting half while hitting 50% of their threes to the tune of a 3-for-6 half, and 4-of-5 free throw attempts. 

In fact, to start the second half, it would take nearly seven more minutes until the first Post turnover of the game by graduate guard Tyler Small following four more by the Cougars which gave them 17 with 13:03 left in regulation. But through that remaining time in the game it was Caldwell who won the turnover battle, forcing the Eagles to commit eight more while only committing four of their own despite a 25-6 discrepancy in points off turnovers which was owned by Post.

Out of the break, the Eagle lead reached a game-high eight points, 31-23, and just after the halfway point of the second half got back up to seven points, 43-36, following a three from freshman forward Anthony Chinn. However, Post would never be able to extend their lead past five points from there on out and a big momentum swing would come after a three from Small with 7:16 left was followed up with technical free throws for Caldwell as part of a four-point swing that made it a one-point game, 48-47. 

Moments later, Bueno would pick up a technical foul of his own for Caldwell with the Eagles up by two and Williams would make one of the two free throws before the ensuing possession resulted in a miss from three by senior forward Deng Deang, keeping the lead at three points, 52-49, with under five minutes to go. Exchanging free throws back-and-forth, Post clung to that three-point lead until Horn's layup at the 2:05 mark followed by two of nine second-half turnovers by the Eagles led to Bueno's go-ahead layup with 27 seconds remaining.

Coming out of a timeout, graduate forward Harrison Warnock got fouled on his layup attempt with nine seconds to go but missed the front end of a one-and-one, forcing the Eagles to foul junior forward Moussa Ngom. Ngom missed the first free throw of his one-and-one, but a lane violation by Akot gave him another chance which he also missed. In stride, Akot off the rebound pushed the ball up the court before it was stripped away and found the hands of a wide-open Williams for a baseline jumper which rimmed out as time expired on what would end as a 57-56 loss for Post. 

Overall, the Eagles took 19 more shots than the Cougars while forcing 21 turnovers to their nine in the game, but on the boards, it was Caldwell with a hefty 40-24 margin as well as getting 19 total free throws to Post's 13 free throws. The game featured just one tie, which was 21-21 in the first half with 2:59 left, and five lead changes with the final one coming on that Bueno basket with 20 seconds left after last changing on a Deang layup to make it 23-21 with 1:51 left in the first half. 

BY THE NUMBERS  

• Bol Akot recorded his tenth straight game finishing with 10-plus points after scoring a team-high 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting while hitting all four of his free throws -- Akot now has 17 games this season in which he has reached double-digit points 
• Derrick Bueno finished with a double-double for Caldwell University after putting up 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds 
• This is the first time this season in which Post University has lost when leading at halftime falling to 8-1 overall while remaining 1-8 when trailing at halftime -- The Eagles are 1-0 when tied at halftime which was their overtime win against AIC on December 18th, 2024 
• Post University has now lost six straight games to Caldwell University since the 2021-22 season and 10 of the last 12 dating back to the 2017-18 season which coincides with their last road win over the Cougars 

WHO'S NEXT
Post University will prepare for a CACC Semifinals rematch this Saturday in the Drubner Center against Jefferson University slated to tip off at 3:00 PM. Last season in that CACC Tournament game, the Eagles fell 70-58 and are now 4-23 all-time against the Rams heading into the weekend, having last beaten them during the 2022-23 season, 76-61, at home.