CALDWELL, N.J. – Felician University could not complete a comeback from a 12-point second-half deficit and was on the short end of a 79-68 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men's basketball decision to host Caldwell University on Tuesday night on the Newman Center's Corino Court.

Freshman guard Josiah Basket (Oak Ridge, N.J.), the reigning CACC Rookie of the Week, came off the bench to lead Felician (5-12, 3-6 CACC) with 19 points. Basket was 6 for 8 from the field, canning all five of his three-point attempts. Golden Falcon sophomore forward Jay'von Jackson (Plainfield, N.J.) recorded his team-high sixth double-double of the season, turning in 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Sophomore guard Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) topped four double-figure scorers for Caldwell with a game-high 25 points. Cooper made 10 of 13 field-goal attempts. The Cougars (11-7, 7-3) took over sole possession of first place in the CACC North Division.

Caldwell broke Tuesday's game open late in the first half. A four-point play by Cooper with 34 seconds left in the period capped a six-minute, 20-5 Cougar run that put the hosts ahead by 14. Basket answered with his own four-point play on Felician's final possession of the half, but the Golden Falcons still went into the break trailing, 38-28. The visitors committed 11 turnovers during the opening 20 minutes.

Felician sliced its deficit to 39-35 during the first three minutes of the second half. But with 9:52 to play, a transition layup by Cooper restored a 12-point edge. The hosts were still up a dozen, 67-55, as the game clock wound under seven minutes. But Basket nailed trifectas on three consecutive possessions, and on the following one, the Cougars held him as he attempted to get open. Basket made 1 of 2 at the foul line to pull the visitors to within 68-65.

But the Cougar defense clamped down thereafter. Felician committed turnovers on three of its next five offensive trips, missing a 1-and-1 foul shooting front end and a transition layup to conclude the other two. Caldwell stretched its edged to eight points during that period before a dunk by Ruud Lutterman (Dalem, Netherlands) at the 2:15 mark punctuated its victory.

The Cougars converted 17 Felician turnovers into 23 points. Caldwell, meanwhile, shot 51 percent from the floor and was forced into only eight miscues.

Felician senior Jeff Lewis (Sicklerville, N.J.) scored 11 points with six rebounds. Classmate Jared Pearson (Woodbridge, N.J.) finished with eight points and four boards.

Felician hosts Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Job Gymnasium on its Rutherford campus.