CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team was defeated by league-leading Holy Family University, 66-51 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match-up Saturday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars suffered their third straight defeat to fall to 9-14 overall and 7-6 in the conference. The Tigers (22-4) remain unbeaten in league play this season at 15-0.
Holy Family got off to a hot start and jumped out to a 16-2 lead over the first seven minutes of play, receiving six points from Catherine Carr. The lead remained 14 points until a three-pointer from freshman guard Lynéa Blue (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) and four points by freshman guard Kaitlyn Lambert (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) sparked a 9-2 Caldwell run near the end of the half to cut the deficit to 32-25. Carr answered with a jumper with 24 second left in the half to give the Tigers a 34-25 lead at the break. Carr and Lambert each had 10 points in the first period to lead their teams.
A three-pointer by sophomore guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) made it an eight-point game, 38-30 with 16:45 to play. The deficit was nine near the 12-minute mark when the Tigers began to pull away. Back-to-back threes by Carr and Alana Arthurs ignited a 19-6 run that put Holy Family on top, 64-42 with 3:27 remaining. Carr recorded nine points in the run that put the game out of reach. Holy Family has now won 82 consecutive regular-season CACC games.
Lambert, pictured, finished with 17 points to lead the Cougars, who received a game-high 10 rebounds to go with eight points from senior forward Mackenzie Lynch (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic). Lynch moves into fifth place on Caldwell's all-time rebounding list with 758. Sophomore guard Abena George (Elmont, NJ/Elmont Memorial) swiped a career-best six steals. Carr tallied 21 points and eight boards, while Lauren Peters had 13 points, seven assists and three steals for Holy Family.
The Cougars play at Bloomfield College on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The CACC game begins at 6:00 p.m. in Bloomfield, N.J.
