CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team lost a close battle with Bloomfield College, 77-73 in the Cougars' home and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener Tuesday evening in the George R., Newman Center. Sophomore forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) tallied 22 points and seven rebounds for Caldwell, which dropped to 1-4 on the season. The Deacons earned their first win of the season to improve to 1-2.

The first half remained close throughout, with 10 lead changes, five ties and neither team leading by more than four points. The half ended with the teams tied at 32-32.

Bloomfield started the second half well and took a 44-39 lead with 15:30 remaining. But Caldwell responded with a pair of lay-ups and a free throw from junior forward Melissa Freeman (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) tied the game at 44-44. An 11-2 run by the Deacons sparked by five points from Emily Horrocks gave them their largest lead of the game, 55-46 with 12 minutes to play. Again, the Cougars fought back to tie the game with an 11-2 run of their own. Senior guard Amy Ransom (Chattanooga, TN/Notre Dame) hit a three to start the run, which included six more points by Freeman that knotted the score at 57-57 at the 8:41 mark.

The game went back and forth, with three more ties before a three-pointer by Renne Vales put Bloomfield up 66-63 with 6:15 left. But baskets by Ransom and junior guard Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) gave Caldwell its first lead of the second half, 67-66 with 5:10 to play. The Deacons eventually built the lead up to 74-69 on a jumper by Marissa Franklin with 1:46 on the clock. Another Leary basket and two free throws from Freeman brought Caldwell to within one, 74-73 with 35 seconds left. But a Bloomfield free throw and back-to-back turnovers would prove costly for Caldwell down the stretch. Horrocks iced the game with two free throws with nine seconds left.

Lynch shot 8-of-14 from the field to help the Cougars shoot a season-best 49.0 percent. Freeman, pictured, finished with a game-high nine rebounds to go with 15 points off the bench, as Caldwell also held a 42-26 advantage on the boards. Senior guard Shannon Coyle (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) recorded 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in the loss. Bloomfield's Ciera Darby led all scorers with 23 points, while Horrocks and Franklin each scored 17 points.

The Cougars are back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 5, when they host Felician College in another CACC contest. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.