BLOOMFIELD, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team lost to Bloomfield College, 72-59 in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Saturday afternoon in the Bloomfield Gymnasium. The defeat eliminates the third-seeded Cougars (17-11) from the tournament, while the second-seeded Lady Deacons (15-13) advance to Wednesday's semifinal round.

Bloomfield broke open the game with eight straight points to take a 26-12 lead with 9:27 left in the first half. The lead remained 14 points as the Lady Deacons took a 37-23 advantage at the half. Cold shooting plagued the Cougars in the game's first 20 minutes, as the visitors made just 19.4 percent for the floor before halftime. Things didn't get much better for Caldwell in the second half, as the Bloomfield lead grew to as many as 22 points before a late 18-9 run by the Cougars made the final score 72-59.

Junior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ, DePaul Catholic) recorded 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven steals to lead the Cougars. Senior guard Dana Leary (Bridgewater, NJ/Immaculata) added 15 points and seven rebounds. Bloomfield was led by Ciera Darby's 13 points and Shantae Barnes' 18 rebounds. The Lady Deacons enjoyed a 57-42 advantage on the boards, while the Cougars swiped 15 steals on the day.

Caldwell's 17 victories this season are the most since the 2002-2003 squad went 21-8. This is the first winning season for the Cougars in five years.