WATERBURY, Conn. – It was another classic game in the rivalry between Post University Men's Basketball and Caldwell University on Wednesday night in the Drubner Center as five points and a defensive stand at the buzzer by graduate forward Derrick Thomas II in the final three minutes helped the Eagles come from behind against the Cougars for a 74-72 victory.

Thomas II closed with 21 points on 6-for-18 shooting, tipping a pass attempt by junior guard Todd Rochelle to the top of the paint with three seconds on the clock, which was taken by junior guard Zion Lott out to half court as time expired on the clock.

THE BASIC

Post University 74, Caldwell University 72

Post University (5-10, 4-3 CACC)

Caldwell University (5-11, 3-6 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both Rochelle and Thomas II were their respective team leaders in points as they each had 14 points while shooting over 50% from the floor. Nearly identical shooting totals would present themselves for both sides, too, with 15-for-31 (48.4%) performances for the half as the only difference was Caldwell finishing with seven threes compared to six for Post. 

After the Cougars took control in the early going with an 8-0 run featuring five points from Rochelle, they would have their largest lead of the entire contest at seven points, 21-14, with 11:18 left in the half. Slowly chipping away at the deficit, junior guard Ta'Quan Williams finally tied things up at 33 all at the 3:55 mark, and Thomas II gave the Eagles their first lead since 14-13 when the Caldwell run began with his jumper just 56 seconds later.

Seven total lead changes and two ties made up the first half, in which the Cougars headed into the break with a one-point advantage, 39-38, controlling the lead for 15:44 of the half, while Post led for only 2:32 of the time. It would only take a little over two minutes for Post to take their first lead of the second half as Rochelle kicked off the session with a three to give Caldwell a four-point lead, which was met with a 5-0 run by Lott and Williams.

After a quick exchange of the lead again, Lott started a 9-0 run for the Eagles, looking to give them full control of the affair, leading by eight, 52-44, after the 1 1/2 minute long blitz. But six points from senior forward DeAngelo Horn as part of a responding 9-0 run by the Cougars suddenly flipped the game back in favor of the visiting team, as from there on out neither side would let the other out of their sight by more than six points.

Holding that six-point advantage was the Eagles after Williams scored four points on a 6-0 run with the game tied at 57 all with the midway point of the second half approaching. Caldwell never led by more than three down the back half of the frame as emphatic back-to-back dunks by freshman forward Terence Thompson tied things at 66 and senior guard Melvin Evans proceeded to score the next three Cougar points on their 7-0 run, coinciding with what would be their last lead of the game, 69-66.

With under three minutes left in regulation, that was when Thomas II went to work, connecting on four straight free throws to give the Eagles the lead back by one before Lott extended it to three with his layup at the 1:55 mark, 72-69. Trailing by two with 30 seconds left in regulation, Thompson was fouled and headed to the line with a chance to tie, but split the free throws, forcing Caldwell to foul Thomas II, who was perfect from the line up to that point.

Splitting the free throws with 10 seconds left, Post's lead would remain at only two as Rochelle came down the court with a full head of steam and looked to kick the ball out to the top of the paint. Making up for his miss at the charity stripe, Thomas II tipped the pass, and it caromed to Lott, who carried it out to half court, securing the 74-72 win for the Eagles.

Both Thomas II and Williams finished with 21 points each, with the latter going 9-for-12 overall from the floor, while senior guard Tre Duncan tacked on 11 points and Lott 10 points of his own to round out Post's four double-digit scorers. Rochelle closed with the team lead for Caldwell with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting, hitting 5-of-6 threes, and was followed up by Horn, who had 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• After his 23-point performance over the weekend against Goldey-Beacom College, Derrick Thomas II followed up his performance with 21 points on 6-for-18 shooting while hitting three three-pointers and going 6-for-7 from the free throw line
• In 34 minutes of action, Todd Rochelle led Caldwell University with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting, connecting on 5-of-6 threes in the loss for the Cougars
• At halftime this season, Post University entered the day a perfect 4-0 when leading at halftime, while being 0-9 when trailing and 0-1 when tied -- Trailing 39-38 at halftime, this is the first time this season in which the Eagles have won a game when being behind at half, moving to 1-9 in such situations
• Since losing six consecutive matchups against Caldwell University, Post University has won each of the last two meetings, both of which have been at home

WHO'S NEXT
Post University takes on Wilmington University on the road this Saturday at 3:30 PM, looking to extend its six-game winning streak in the all-time series, which they lead 21-7. Last season, the Eagles came out on top 81-72 against the Wildcats on the road.