box score
CALDWELL, N.J. - A three-pointer by sophomore guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) tied the game at the end of regulation, but the Caldwell College Cougars fell to Bloomfield College in overtime, 80-76 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Thursday night at the George R. Newman Center. The loss is the Cougars' fifth in a row and drops their record to 4-9 overall, including 2-1 in the conference. The Lady Deacons (6-5) remain unbeaten in league play at 3-0 and take over first place in the CACC North Division.
A steal and lay-up by Vanessa Lamison put Bloomfield ahead 69-65 with 1:32 left in the second half. After senior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) hit a pair of free throws, Robyn Burton went 1-of-2 from the line to make the score 70-67 Bloomfield with less than a minute to play. Leedham answered with a lay-up at the other end, but Burton was fouled and made both free throws for a 72-69 advantage with 15 seconds left. With the clock winding down, Leedham took a pass from Lynch and buried a three from the right side to tie the game at 72-72 with five seconds left. Bloomfield was unable to get a shot off as time ran out, sending the game to overtime.
Baskets by Leedham and Lynch kept the game tied at 76-76 at the two-minute mark of overtime. On Bloomfield's next possession, Emily Horrocks drained a three-pointer for a 79-76 lead. The Cougars came up empty on their final three possessions of the game to suffer their first CACC loss of the season.
The Cougars used a 9-3 run in the final four minutes of the first half to take a 32-26 lead into halftime. Bloomfield battled back in the second half with a 9-0 run, sparked by five points from Lamison, that put the Lady Deacons on top, 42-39 with 14:42 left in the second half. Caldwell eventually regained a slim lead and held a 65-63 advantage with just under three minutes to play in regulation. But free throws by Burton and two baskets from Lamison gave Bloomfield a 69-65 lead with 1:32 remaining, setting up Leedham's late heroics.
Lynch finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds while hitting 11-of-13 from the line. Her scoring output on the night leaves Lynch with 998 points for her career. Leedham finished with 17 points, including 3-of-7 from three-point range. Freshman guard Lynéa Blue (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) pitched in 11 points, while senior forward Janay Perkins (Bronx, NY/Walton), pictured, led all players with 13 rebounds. Lamison paced the Lady Deacons with 21 points and eight steals, while Horrocks and Burton finished with 15 points apiece.
The Cougars host Philadelphia University in another CACC contest on Saturday, Jan. 10. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
