SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end with a 74-55 loss to Bryant University in the final game of the Bryant Holiday Tournament Saturday afternoon. The defeat drops the Cougars to 8-2 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 10-2 with their eighth straight victory.

The Bulldogs dominated in the first half, using a 23-3 run to build a 37-11 lead with 2:26 left in the half. Caldwell made just four field goals in the game's first 20 minutes while Bryant held a 33-16 rebounding edge to take a 41-18 lead at halftime. The Cougars made the game more competitive in the second half, pulling to within 15 points after a three-pointer by freshman guard Stephanie Cadet (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) and a basket from junior forward Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY/Walton) made the score 56-41 Bryant with 9:51 to play. A three-pointer by Cadet and a lay-up from senior guard Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) cut the deficit to 66-53 at the 3:21 mark, but that's as close as Caldwell would get.

The Cougars tallied 18 steals while forcing 33 Bryant turnovers in the game, but it was not enough to offset poor shooting from the field (27.5 percent) and a 54-36 rebounding advantage for the Bulldogs. Leary led Caldwell with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Cadet finished with nine points, four boards, four assists and three steals. Freshman guard Abena George (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) and junior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) each swiped four steals. Lynch, the team's leading scorer, was held to just five points and no field goals in eight attempts. Cara Johnson had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelsey O'Keefe recorded 14 points and 15 boards to help Bryant win its school-record eighth straight game.

Caldwell returns home to host Wilmington College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game on Saturday, Jan. 5. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.