CALDWELL, N.J. - Sophomore forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) tallied 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Caldwell College women's basketball team held off Georgian Court University, 71-68 Thursday night in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match-up at the George R. Newman Center. The victory gives the Cougars an overall record of 4-6 and a conference mark of 3-3, while the Lions fall to 2-9, 1-6 CACC.
Despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field for the game, the Cougars seemed to be in control midway through the second half, leading 50-41 with 10:17 remaining. But two three-pointers from Georgian Court's Melinda Hunold and one by Stephanie Longdo on consecutive possessions quickly tied the game at 50-50 with 8:13 on the clock. The Lions eventually took their first lead of the second half on a lay-up by Marshawn Denny that made the score 54-53 with 7:08 left. Caldwell answered with a 9-1 run sparked by lay-ups from Lynch and junior forward Melissa Freeman (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) that put the Cougars ahead 62-55 with just over three minutes to play. Caldwell's defense also helped turn the game in the Cougars' favor, forcing the Lions to miss 12 straight field goal attempts after taking the lead.
A conventional three-point play by Sophia Iloh followed by a three from Jamee Bush brought the Lions to within two, 65-63 with 51 seconds left. But junior guard Khaliqa Davis (Newark, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) buried all six of her free throw attempts down the stretch to secure the win for Caldwell. The Cougars held a sizeable advantage at the charity stripe, making 27-of-38 from the line compared to 9-of-13 for Georgian Court.
Caldwell broke open a close first half with a 14-4 run to lead by as many as 10 before halftime. Freeman had six points and Davis and Lynch scored five points apiece in a half that saw the Cougars overcome poor shooting (29.4 percent from the field) to take a 32-24 halftime lead. After the Lions came to within 42-39 at the 13:40 mark of the second half, an 8-2 spurt buoyed by four points from junior forward Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) gave the Cougars a 50-41 advantage.
For Lynch, the CACC's leading scorer at 23.4 points per game entering tonight's contest, the performance marked her third straight double-double and her sixth of the season. Leary and Davis each scored 11 points, while senior guard Shannon Coyle (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney), pictured, dished out a season-high eight assists. Iloh paced the Lions with 20 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Caldwell hosts Adelphi University on Saturday, Jan. 6 in a non-conference game. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
