LOWELL, Mass. - A basket by senior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) with 49 seconds left proved to be the difference as the Caldwell College women's basketball team earned a 66-65 victory at UMass-Lowell in a non-conference game Thursday night at Costello Athletic Center. The win gives the Cougars a 6-3 record on the season, while the River Hawks fall to 4-6.
Following a lay-up by freshman forward Jeanette Anderson (Lynn, MA/Lynn English) that put Caldwell on top 64-61 with 2:51 remaining, UMass-Lowell got baskets from Briana Szidat and Bianca Simmons to take a 65-64 lead with 1:11 on the clock. On the next possession, Leedham hit a lay-up with 49 seconds left to give the Cougars a 66-65 advantage. The River Hawks missed a field goal attempt at the other end, grabbed the offensive board but turned the ball over with 37 seconds to play. Caldwell worked the clock down and UMass-Lowell was unable to foul before time expired, giving the Cougars their third straight victory.
The River Hawks were able to build a 24-17 lead over the game's first 14 minutes before Caldwell closed out the first half with a 19-5 run to take a 36-29 advantage into the halftime break. The run was capped by a three-pointer at the buzzer by Anderson, who had eight points in the first half. The lead grew to as many as 10 points after a three from Leedham made the score 39-29. UMass-Lowell chipped away at the lead, pulling within one point three times before Simmons' basket at the 1:11 mark gave the hosts their first lead of the second half. But Leedham's lay-up doomed the River Hawks and avenged Caldwell's loss to UMass-Lowell last year.
Anderson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Caldwell, while Leedham had 16 points and four assists. Senior guard Abena George (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial), junior forward Kaitlyn Lambert (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) and sophomore center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) each grabbed eight boards, with George adding five steals and three assists, and Felix contributing 10 points. Simmons finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead UMass-Lowell.
The Cougars host Felician College on Jan. 6 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the George R. Newman Center.
