RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Redshirt junior guard Jaylen Colon (Paterson, N.J.) scored a career-high 36 points to lead Felician University to an 88-80 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference men's basketball victory over host Caldwell University on Tuesday night on the Newman Center's Mark A. Corino Court.  

In registering the sixth-highest single-game scoring total in the 26-year history of Felician men's basketball, Colon went 14 for 25 from the floor, including 5 for 10 from three-point range, and made all three of his free-throw attempts. He played the entire 40 minutes, adding six rebounds and five assists.

The Golden Falcons (14-8, 9-5 CACC) received 22 points and 11 rebounds from junior swingman Justin Davis (Jersey City, N.J.), while junior forward Dee-End McRae (Newark, N.J.) totaled 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Mark Heber (Paterson, N.J.) led five double-figure scorers for Caldwell with 17 points.

With three games remaining, Felician moved two games ahead of fifth-place Bloomfield College for the final playoff spot from the CACC North Division. The Golden Falcons, ahead of fourth-place Nyack College by 1 ½ games, trail second-place Dominican (N.Y.) College by one game in the race for a first-round playoff home game. The Chargers, however, hold tiebreaker rights over Felician via a sweep of the regular-season series.

On Tuesday, the Golden Falcons recovered from a 40-33 first-half deficit to take a brief one-point lead before the sides entered the halftime intermission deadlocked at 45-45. Colon had already scored 21 points at the break.

Felician never trailed during the second period. A three-point field goal by Davis put the visitors on top, 58-51, with 15:19 remaining. The Golden Falcons would assume their largest advantage, 72-63, following Colon's layup and free throw at the 9:02 mark.

Still down by five as the game clock wound under three minutes, Caldwell saw Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) drain a three-pointer. But the hosts did not score again. Felician misfired after Cooper's longball, and he attempted another one for the lead, but it would not fall. A putback by McRae then gave the Golden Falcons an 84-80 edge at the 1:45 mark, and the Felician defense obtained the needed stops down the stretch. Davis and Colon each converted a pair of free throws for the final margin.

Felician committed only seven turnovers on the night, and allowed the Cougars (7-15, 3-11) to attempt just four foul shots. Golden Falcon junior Etnik Peci (Pristina, Kosovo) netted 10 points.

Felician closes the regular season with three home games, including Saturday's 3:30 tip with Nyack. Caldwell comes to Job Gym on Presidents Day for a 3:30 makeup contest.