LAKEWOOD, N.J. - A 25-7 run midway through the second half allowed the Caldwell College women's basketball team to beat Georgian Court University, 75-61 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest Saturday afternoon in the GCU Wellness Center. The win is the Cougars' fourth in a row and gives them a 7-5 record overall, including a 3-2 mark in the league. The Lions are now 3-9 overall, 1-4 CACC.

There were five ties in the first half, with neither team leading by more than six points. With the score knotted at 25-25 with just under five minutes left in the half, Caldwell outscored Georgian Court 8-4 to take a 33-29 lead at halftime. Freshman guard Torey Jones (N. Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.) hit two three-pointers and had 10 points in the first half for Caldwell, which overcame poor shooting from the field (29.0 percent) by earning a 24-13 advantage in rebounding.

The Cougars maintained the upper hand early in the second half, but a pair of free throws from Dee Varley and a three-pointer from Lauren Staats allowed the Lions to cut the lead to 39-37 with 14:18 to play. Over the next nine minutes, Caldwell held Georgian Court to 2-of-10 shooting from the field and three free throws while reeling off a 25-7 spree to take a commanding 64-44 lead with 5:17 on the clock. Junior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) had seven points in the run, while sophomore forward Kaitlyn Lambert (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) had six points. The lead was still 20 points, 71-51 with 2:44 remaining when the Lions scored 10 straight points to pull to within 71-61 with 23 seconds left. Sophomore guard Stephanie Cadet (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) hit four three throws to make the final score 75-61 Caldwell.

The Cougars turned things around offensively in the second half, shooting 53.6 percent from the floor. For the game, Caldwell outrebounded GCU 43-30 and had 18 offensive rebounds.

Leedham, pictured, led all scorers with 18 points despite not making a three-pointer for the second straight game. Jones (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Lambert (14 points, 11 rebounds) both tallied double-doubles, with Jones adding fives assists and three steals. Freshman forward Ebony Thomas (Jersey City, NJ/Marist) had eight points and eight boards in a reserve role, as the Cougars' bench scored 17 points compared to two points for the Lions' reserves. Shawna Wert led Georgian Court with 17 points and four steals, with Staats contributing 15 points.

Caldwell hosts Nyack College on Monday, Jan. 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.