WATERBURY, Conn. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team earned a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory on the road against Post University, 89-72 Tuesday night at the Drubner Center. With the win, the Cougars sweep the season series with Post to improve to 13-7 overall and 7-5 in the conference, while the Eagles fall to 4-16, 4-9 CACC.
The Cougars took control of the game midway through the first half with a 10-0 run that gave them a 20-14 advantage with 8:39 left in the half. Junior forward Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY/Walton) and freshman guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) each scored four points in the run. The lead would grow to as many as 10 points four different times in the half, with a three-pointer from freshman guard Abena George (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) at the buzzer sending the Cougars into the break with a 46-36 lead. Leedham notched 14 points in the game's first 20 minutes as Caldwell shot 54.3 percent from the floor.
The Cougars extended their lead to 56-40 by starting the second half with a 10-4 spree in the first three minutes and 20 seconds. Post cut the lead to 12 points four times, the last time on a basket by Kendra Pitts that made the score 66-54 at the 7:43 mark. But Caldwell maintained the edge the rest of the way, leading by as many as 19 points to cruise to its second straight win and fourth victory in five games. The Cougars, who entered tonight's game ranking sixth nationally in steals with 13.8 per game, recorded 14 steals while scoring 23 points off 25 Eagles turnovers.
Leedham, who attended Cheshire Academy in nearby Cheshire, Conn., finished with a game-high 20 points and six rebounds. The performance marks the second straight game with 20 or more points for Leedham, who was one of five Cougars to score in double figures. Senior guard Khaliqa Davis (Newark, NJ/Bloomfield Tech) and junior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) each tallied 14 points, with Lynch grabbing a team-high eight boards. Perkins had 12 points and senior forward Melissa Freeman (Englewood, NJ/Cresskill) made all five of her attempts from the field to finish with 11 points. Forward Stephanie Goss totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Eagles.
The Cougars stay on the road to face Bloomfield College in another important CACC North Division match-up on Thursday, Feb. 7. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. in the Bloomfield Gymnasium.
