CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team lost a close Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference battle with Nyack College, losing 63-61 Monday night in the George R. Newman Center. The defeat ends the Cougars' four-game winning streak and gives them a 7-6 overall record, including a 3-3 mark in league play. The Warriors remain unbeaten in the CACC at 4-0 and are 7-5 overall.

Nyack broke open a close game early in the first half with 11 straight points to take a 20-8 lead with 11:15 left in the period. Caldwell answered with a 14-2 run to tie the game at 22-22 at the 7:20 mark. A three-pointer by junior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) helped the Cougars take a five-point advantage before the Warriors cut the lead to one, 34-33 at halftime. Leedham scored 14 points in the first half to lead Caldwell.

The second half saw seven lead changes in the first eight minutes, with Nyack eventually emerging with a 52-46 lead following a 7-0 run with 10:22 remaining. A three-pointer from junior guard Abena George (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) and a conventional three-point play by sophomore forward Kaitlyn Lambert (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) tied the game at 52-52 with 6:23 left in the game. A three-pointer by Kelsy McIntosh with 2:17 on the clock capped a 9-3 Nyack run that put the Warriors on top 61-55. Still trailing by six, Caldwell pulled closer on a basket by freshman center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), followed by a lay-up from Leedham that made the score 63-61 with just under a minute to play. After Shelly Yount missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 16 seconds left, the Cougars had one final attempt to tie the game. But a shot by freshman guard Torey Jones (N. Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.) was blocked by Yount as time ran out, preserving the win for the Warriors.

Leedham paced the Cougars in scoring for the third straight game with 20 points. George (pictured) turned in a solid performance with a career-high nine assists to go with 12 points, six rebounds and four steals. Lambert also had 12 points and five rebounds. McIntosh made three three-pointers en route to 17 points for Nyack, while Jasmine Minter added 12 points, six assists and three steals.

Next up for Caldwell is a CACC game at Chestnut Hill College on Monday, Jan. 18. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.