NEW CASTLE, Del. – Guard Andrea Jones' lay-up with 2.9 seconds left in the game gave Wilmington College a 67-66 victory over Caldwell College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at the Pratt Center. The loss ended the Cougars' playoff hopes as Caldwell finishes the 2004-05 season with a record of 9-18 overall and 8-14 in the CACC. The Wildcats, who finished seventh in the conference and will play at Bloomfield College on Mar. 2, improved to 14-13 overall, 10-12 CACC.

The first half remained close throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points. A three-pointer by Katelin Klingert gave Wilmington a 17-11advantage at the 13:23 mark. The Cougars countered, taking a 22-21 lead with an 11-4 run that was started by a three from sophomore guard Shannon Coyle (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) and finished with a trey from sophomore guard Jenn Murray (Jackson, NJ/Jackson), pictured. The Wildcats regained the lead with four straight points, but the Cougars closed out the half with a 13-6 run to take a 35-32 edge into the break. Coyle, Murray and freshman guard Melissa Shubiak (Manville, NJ/Immaculata) each hit three-pointers in the late first-half run, as Caldwell shot 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in the game's first 20 minutes.

The Cougars led by as many as seven points during the first 11 minutes of the second half. But a basket by Nordia Henry at the nine-minute mark gave the Wildcats their first lead of the second half, 50-49. The lead changed hands three times over the next three minutes until a 13-5 run gave Caldwell a 66-59 advantage with just over one minute remaining. A pair of free throws by Klingert made it 66-51 with 51 seconds left. After a foul and two missed Cougar free throws, the Wildcats answered with a lay-up by Henry with 27 seconds left. Two more missed free throws for Caldwell allowed Jones to pull the Wildcats to within one, 66-65 with 16 seconds on the clock. A Cougar turnover gave Wilmington the ball with 14 seconds left, setting up Jones' heroics.

The Cougars struggled from the line, hitting just 9-of-22, including 8-of-18 in the second half.  Murray led Caldwell with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second career double-double. Freshman guard Corrie McIntyre (Highland Park, NJ/Highland Park) had 13 points and four steals, while Coyle registered 11 points, seven assists and three steals in the loss. Jones and Henry each tallied 20 points, and Klingert added 16 points for Wilmington. Senior Michelle Whalen, playing in her final home game, and Henry each grabbed 10 boards for the Wildcats.