Caldwell, NJ (2/2/10)   The Dominican College men's basketball team defeated host Caldwell College, 74-67, this evening in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) action at the George R. Neuman Center.

The Chargers trailed 20-11 with just over 12 minutes remaining in the first stanza when they turned the tables with an 11-2 run to take a 23-22 lead, capped off by back-to-back three point buckets from freshmen Leon Porter (Laurel, MD) and Gerald Hill (Gwynn Oak, MD) with 8:40 to go.  The Cougars regained a five point advantage, but DC was able to cut it to three, 38-35 at the intermission.  Both teams shot well from the field, with Caldwell making 53.3 percent compared to 60.9 percent for the Chargers.

Caldwell started off the second half with a 8-5 run to build up an 48-40 lead with 16:30 left in regulation.  Down 50-42 a minute later, Dominican exploded with 12 unanswered points as senior Brendan McManus (Pearl River, NY) netting the last five points to take a 54-50 lead with 11:00 remaining in the second half.  The Cougars answered back with a 7-0 run to go up 57-54, but DC retaliated with nine straight points to re-take a 63-57 lead with 6:16 to go and never looked back en route to the 74-67 lead.

Both teams ended up shooting over 50 percent from the field for the game, with Dominican hitting 56.1 percent compared to 51.9 percent for Caldwell. The difference came at the free throw line, as Dominican attempted 21 free throws to 11 for Caldwell, with the Chargers making 19-of-21 (90.5 percent). The visitors also earned a 28-19 edge on the glass.

Porter led the Chargers with a double-double of 19 points and a game leading 11 assists.  McManus netted 15 points, shooting 3-6 from the three point line and 5-8 from the floor, while junior Almin Hodzic (Budd Lake, NJ) had a double-double of 11 points and 10 caroms.

With the victory Dominican improves 10-12 overall and 6-5 in the CACC.

The Chargers return to action on Thursday when they take on CACC North Division opponent, Bloomfield College, for an 8pm game.