CALDWELL, N.J. - Senior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) scored 27 points as the Caldwell College women's basketball team closed out the regular season with a 79-56 victory over Chestnut Hill College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Friday night in the George R. Newman Center. The win clinches a share of the CACC North Division title for the Cougars (20-5, 16-3 CACC), marking the program's first divisional crown. The Lady Griffins end their season at 7-19, 5-14 CACC.
Caldwell controlled play from the start, building a 32-20 advantage with six minutes left in the first half. After Chestnut Hill cut the lead to 36-28 with just over three minutes on the clock, two baskets by freshman forward Jeanette Anderson (Lynn, MA/Lynn English) and another from sophomore center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) put the Cougars on top, 42-28 at the break. Anderson and Leedham each scored 12 points for Caldwell in the first half, as the hosts shot 56.3 percent from the field.
The lead grew to as many as 18 points before the Lady Griffins used an 11-4 run to make the score 60-49 with 8:17 remaining. Leedham answered with a three-pointer that sparked an 11-0 spree that gave Caldwell an insurmountable 71-49 lead with just under six minutes to play. The Cougars forced 19 Chestnut Hill turnovers in the second half while committing eight of their own, outscoring the Lady Griffins 35-15 in points off turnovers for the game. The victory is Caldwell's fifth in a row and marks the sixth 20-win season in the history of the program.
Leedham shot 5-of-10 from three-point range en route to a season-high 27 points, and added five assists and four steals in her final regular-season home game. Anderson notched her ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Felix tallied her sixth with 10 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Torey Jones (Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.) contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and senior guard Abena George (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial) matched her career high with nine assists to go with six points and two steals. Ebony Washington led Chestnut Hill with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Tonight's game was the final regular-season home game for seniors George, Leedham, and forwards Lisa Federico (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) and Margaret Mullen (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park).
Caldwell tied with Bloomfield College for first in the CACC North, and the two teams were equal at every tie-breaker, resulting in a coin flip to determine the top seed from the North for next week's CACC Tournament. Bloomfield won the coin toss, meaning the Lady Deacons will be the North's No. 1 seed, and Caldwell will host third-seeded Felician College on Monday, Feb. 28 in the first round of the CACC Tournament. The game is set to start at 7:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
