PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Senior guard Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) tallied a game-high 21 points as the Caldwell College women's basketball team defeated Chestnut Hill College, 76-55 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match-up Saturday afternoon at Sorgenti Arena. Leary's performance leaves her just 10 points shy of 1,000 for her career. The Cougars are now 15-9 overall and 9-6 in the CACC, while the Lady Griffins fall to 3-21, 1-14 CACC.
The Cougars took control of the game from the opening tip, reeling off an 11-0 run in the game's first five minutes. Chestnut Hill, which is competing in the CACC and at the Division II level for the first time this season, battled back with nine straight points midway through the first half to make the score 16-13 Caldwell. Despite shooting 37.1 percent from the floor in the first half, the Cougars maintained the upper hand and took a 35-24 advantage at halftime. Leary notched 13 points to lead all scorers in the first half.
The Lady Griffins were able to reduce the deficit to single digits when a pair of free throws from Jenna Beck made the score 43-34 with 15:48 on the clock. But Caldwell put the hosts in the rear view mirror with a 15-7 run that put the Cougars ahead, 58-41 with 10:33 to play. The Cougars shot the ball better in the second half, making 20-of-38 (52.6 percent) from the floor to build their lead to as many as 23 points.
Leary made 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe en route to a season-high 21 points. She has scored 990 points in 103 games in her career at Caldwell. Junior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) notched 14 points and six rebounds, while freshman guard Stephanie Cadet (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) recorded team highs of eight rebounds and five assists. The Cougars swiped 13 steals in the game, led by senior guard Khaliqa Davis (Newark, NJ/Bloomfield Tech), who had four. Tara Walsh paced the Lady Griffins with 16 points and nine boards.
Caldwell plays a non-conference home game on Wednesday, Feb. 20 against Mercy College. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.
