CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team overcame an 11-point deficit at halftime to defeat the College of St. Rose, 67-61 in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon at the George R. Newman Center. The win gives the Cougars a 3-5 overall record, while the Golden Knights drop to 4-6.
St. Rose led the entire first half, opening the game with a 10-2 run and leading by as many as 11, including a 34-23 advantage at the half. The Golden Knights dominated the boards in the first 20 minutes, out-rebounding Caldwell 27-12. Six-foot-two forward Kelli-Ann Henry had 10 rebounds and 6-foot-3 center Petra Kulhankova had six boards and nine points in the first half as the Golden Knights made full use of their considerable height advantage.
The St. Rose lead grew to 14 points early in the second half before the Cougars began their comeback. With the Golden Knights ahead 43-31 with 14:29 on the clock, a three-point play from sophomore guard Amy Ransom (Chattanooga, TN/Notre Dame) sparked a 12-5 Cougar run that cut the lead to 48-43 with 10:13 remaining. Then three-point field goals by sophomore guards Jenn Murray (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) and Shannon Coyle (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) capped a 10-2 run and gave Caldwell its first lead of the game, 53-52, with 5:12 left in the game. St. Rose briefly retook the lead with a lay-up by guard Linsey Onishuk, but the Cougars countered with nine straight points, all on free throws, to lead 62-54 with just over a minute to play. A three-pointer by forward Emily Gottstein and lay-ups from Kulhankova and guard Mary Lewis pulled the Golden Knights to within three twice, but the Cougars held on for victory, making 5-of-8 from the line in the final minute of play.
The Cougars, who scored their final 14 points from the charity stripe, attempted 33 free throws to the Golden Knights' nine. Caldwell's defense forced St. Rose into 29 turnovers and swiped 10 steals, including three each for Coyle and Ransom.
For the second time this season, five Cougars reached double figures in points, led by Coyle with 15 points. Ransom finished with 14 points, while freshman forward Cecilia Green (Willingboro, NJ/Linden) (pictured) came off the bench to record career highs with 13 points, all in the second half, and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Kulhankova led all scorers with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Henry finished with 10 points and 14 boards.
Caldwell returns to the court on Wednesday, Dec. 29, when they travel to New Haven, Conn., to face Southern Connecticut State in the Cougars' final non-conference game of the season.
