BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – A three-pointer by senior guard, Marvin Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) from the corner as time expired lifted Bloomfield College over the Cougars of Caldwell University, 83-80 Wednesday night in the Bears first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men's basketball game of the year. The Bloomfield Gymnasium erupted as the Bears win their second straight game in a row and improve to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in CACC play. The Cougars fall to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference with the defeat.

Clarence White (Bronx, N.Y.) had a career-high night to setup Williams' heroics as Bloomfield came out the gates hot, building a 24-14 lead midway through the first half.  The Cougars answered with a 16-6 run sparked by eight points from junior forward Billy McDonald (North Haven, C.T.) that tied the score at 30-30 with 5:18 left in the half. Caldwell saw a brief 41-40 lead before White scored the final five points in the period for a 45-41 advantage capping a 7-for-7 shooting spectacle at the break. When the smoke cleared, White led the Bears to the lockeroom with 17 first half points followed by junior Claude Blue (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Williams with eight and six points respectively. Senior Matt Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also had six points heading into the second stanza.

Bloomfield stayed on top for most of the second half, with freshman forward, Nick Davidson (Lumberton, N.J.)  taking charge in the box to pour in nine points in the frame. Caldwell trailed 78-72 with 3:09 left in the game when senior guard Kevin Walker (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) netted six straight points to tie the game at 78-78 with 1:41 on the clock. Davidson would answer with jumper at the 1:31 mark to put the Bears back up by two, 80-78. A foul by Williams sent junior guard Dawan Lighty (Paterson, NJ/Kennedy) to the line where he sank both free throws to tie the score at 80-80 with six seconds left. Caldwell had a foul to give, and Walker used it with just two seconds on the clock. On the ensuing inbounds play, Williams received the ball in the corner from White, pump-faked, then put up a shot over Lighty that tickled the bottom of the net as the final horn sounded.

White finished with a career-high 26 points on 11-for-13 shooting including four 3-pointers on the night. Williams had 16 total points and 5 assists to go along with his game-winning theatrics. Blue, Davidson and Hall each finished with 12 points as the Bears out-shot Caldwell 55.6% to 47.1% for the game. McDonald led Caldwell with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, while senior forward Michael Balkovic (Neptune, NJ/St. John Vianney) tallied 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Lighty ended up with 13 points and four rebounds, with Walker contributing 11 points, five boards and three assists. 

The Cougars were dominant on paper, holding advantages in points in the paint (54-36), points off turnovers (16-10) and bench productivity (14-5) but fell just short as the Jersey City guard stole the show to lift the Bears to their 6th straight victory over Caldwell since 2011. 


The Bears look to continue their winning streak as they gear up for another CACC showdown on Saturday, Dec. 6 when they hit the road to face the Griffins of Chestnut Hill. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. in the Ann Rusnack Sorgenti Arena. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, from the Bloomfield College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter or Instagram @GO_BCBears.