CALDWELL STUMBLES AT UMASS-LOWELL TOURNEY IN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

LOWELL, Mass. – The Caldwell College women's basketball team began play at the UMass-Lowell Tournament with a 54-48 loss to the host River Hawks Saturday afternoon at Costello Athletic Center. The result evens the Cougars' record to 1-1 on the season, while UMass-Lowell is now 1-1.

Neither team shot the ball well in the first half, with Caldwell shooting 29.2 percent from the floor and the River Hawks making just 23.3 percent. After a basket by Sarah Bennett put UMass-Lowell ahead 14-8 with 7:20 on the clock, the Cougars tallied the next 11 points to take a 19-14 lead. Junior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) had eight points in the run, including two three-pointers. Bianca Simmons broke the River Hawks' scoring drought with a basket at the 1:30 mark as Caldwell took a 19-16 advantage into halftime.

The Cougars opened the second half with a 13-8 run to expand their lead to 32-24 with 13:25 to play. But UMass-Lowell answered with a 10-0 spree to take its first lead of the second half, 34-32. A three-pointer by freshman guard Torey Jones (N. Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.) a 7-2 Caldwell run that put the Cougars on top, 39-36 at the 8:20 mark. Caldwell then went cold from the field, going 0-for-7 as the River Hawks built a 46-39 advantage with 5:00 remaining.

Sophomore guard Stephanie Cadet (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) ended the skid with a three-pointer with just under four minutes to play, followed by a free throw from freshman center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) that made the score 46-43 UMass-Lowell with 3:08 left. Simmons responded for the River Hawks with a three for a 49-43 lead with 1:55 remaining. Caldwell was able to cut the deficit to three points twice, but the River Hawks hit 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch to clinch the victory.

Leedham led the Cougars with 18 points and three steals, while Felix grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 10 points. Jones pitched in 12 points in a losing effort. Simmons paced UMass-Lowell with 16 points, including 12 in the second half. Bennett finished with 12 boards to help the River Hawks edge Caldwell on the glass, 47-46. The Cougars struggled from the perimeter, making just 5-of-27 from three-point range for the game.

Caldwell wraps up play at the UMass.-Lowell Tournament with a game against Bentley College on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 p.m.

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