CALDWELL, N.J. - Junior guard Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) scored a career-high 24 points to help the Caldwell College women's basketball team come back from an 11-point second half deficit to defeat Philadelphia University, 79-71 Tuesday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars, who shot a season-best 52.7 percent from the field, improve to 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the CACC with the win, while the Rams fall to 8-4, 7-2 CACC.
After a Leary lay-up put the Cougars ahead 11-10 at the 15:38 mark of the first half, Philadelphia reeled off 10 straight points to ignite a 22-4 onslaught that gave the Rams a commanding 32-15 advantage with just under eight minutes left in the half. But the Cougars fought back, out-scoring their opponents 20-8 the rest of the half. Junior guard Khaliqa Davis (Newark, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) scored nine points and sophomore forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) had six in the run that made the score 40-35 Rams at the break.
Caldwell eventually cut the lead to two after a conventional three-point play by junior guard Phylicia Holmes (Roselle, NJ/Roselle) made it 42-40 with 17:44 left. Philadelphia's Alisha Ferguson scored seven points as the Rams used an 11-2 run to jump out to a 53-42 advantage with 14 minutes on the clock. Three three-pointers from senior guard Shannon Coyle (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) in a span of five minutes, 45 seconds, helped to bring the Cougars to within 63-60 at the seven-minute mark. After a pair of free throws by Ferguson, Caldwell scored seven straight points, including five from Davis, that gave the Cougars their first lead of the second half and sparked a 12-2 run for a 72-67 advantage with 2:22 remaining. The Rams responded with two free throws from Meg Abele, only to have Lynch score two straight baskets to give Caldwell an insurmountable 76-69 lead with a minute to play.
Leary went 10-of-12 from the field en route to her best offensive performance of her career at Caldwell. Davis also reached a career high, scoring 18 points while dishing out four assists. Coyle finished with 15 points, Lynch had 13, and Holmes recorded a team-best six rebounds to go with a career-high seven assists and five points. Caldwell made 29 of their 55 attempts from the floor and turned the ball over a season-low 14 times, including just five times in the second half. Philadelphia was led by Ferguson's 24 points and 12 boards, with Abele, the CACC's leading scorer, pitching in 22 points.
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, Jan. 13, when they face Goldey-Beacom College in a CACC game. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Wilmington, Del.
