Nov 23, 2011
NYIT Men's Basketball Edged 82-81 by Caldwell

• Box Score 

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Nov. 22, 2011) - Five Bears scored in double-digits as NYIT men's basketball was edged 82-81 by Caldwell Tuesday night at Recreation Hall. With the loss, the Bears dropped to 1-4 on the season and the Cougars improved to 3-1 overall. 

Junior Kayvon Roberts (Corona, N.Y.) led the Bears with 21 points and a .857 free throw percentage. Freshman Nick Fessenden (Greenlawn, N.Y.) added 16 points and junior Antoine Brown (Washington, D.C.) chipped in with 14 points and five assists. Rounding out NYIT's top scorers was redshirt-freshman Jahleel Felix (Flushing, N.Y.) with 11 points and junior transfer Azel Prather Jr. (Glenarden, Md.), who registered the game's only double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

For Caldwell, Anthony Gill had a game-high 27 points.

The Cougars grabbed an early 5-0 lead but a three-pointer by Roberts at 17:59 put the Bears on the scoreboard, 5-3. After trailing by two points for three minutes, NYIT produced a 10-5 run to knot the score 21-21 with 11:26 to play. The rally began with a layup from Prather Jr., and was fueled on baskets from Roberts and Felix. However, the Cougars continued to fight and reclaimed the lead 29-28 on a jumper by Derrick Ross with 6:19 left. Yet, NYIT did not give up and fought to earn a seven-point edge 36-29 on a layup by Felix off the fast break. The Bears held on for a 42-37 lead heading into the locker room.

NYIT continued its momentum in the second half and earned a 10-point lead on three occasions. The last time was with 12:18 to play on a three-pointer by senior Jahari McKnight (El Sobrante, Calif.). However, from there, Caldwell went on a 10-4 run to bring the score within four points 64-60 with 9:05 remaining. The Bears and Cougars continued to exchange baskets but with just over a minute left Caldwell reclaimed the lead on a three-pointer by Don Trifari, 80-79. He then knocked down both free throws with 26 seconds left to give Caldwell a three-point edge 82-79. The Bears responded with a layup by Fessenden with 11 seconds left but that was a close as NYIT could get as time ran out.

The Bears return to action on Saturday, Nov. 26 on the road against the Wildcats of Wilmington (Del.). Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in more than 90 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 89,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

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Sabrina Polidoro
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Sports Information Director
O: 516.686.7504
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spolidor@nyit.edu