CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College women's basketball team overcame an aggressive Felician College squad to earn a 65-54 triumph in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Monday night in the George R. Newman Center. With the win, the Cougars (21-5) advance to the semifinals on Friday, Mar. 4 at 17th-ranked Holy Family University. The victory also ties Caldwell's school record for wins in a season, set in 1997, 2002 and 2003. The Golden Falcons end their season with a record of 18-9.
The score was close throughout the first half, with six ties and neither team leading by more than five points. Caldwell used a 9-2 run, buoyed by a four-point play from junior guard Stephanie Cadet (Elmont, NY/Elmont Memorial), late in the half to lead 28-23 with two minutes on the clock. A pair of free throws and a banked-in three-pointer at the buzzer from Quay Baskerville made the score 29-28 Caldwell at the break. Neither team shot the ball well in the first half, with the Cougars making 32.1 percent from the floor compared to 25.0 percent for Felician.
Caldwell took control of the game early in the second half, getting three-pointers from senior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England/Cheshire Acad.) and junior forward Kaitlyn Lambert (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) to spark a 10-3 run for a 39-31 lead at the 14-minute mark. Felician pulled to within five points, 40-35, but Leedham answered with five straight points, including a conventional three-point play, to give the Cougars their first double-digit lead of the game, 45-35 with 11:42 remaining. A three-pointer by Destiny Barnett allowed the Golden Falcons to cut the lead to 49-42 with eight minutes left, but four Leedham free throws and two baskets from freshman forward Jeanette Anderson (Lynn, MA/Lynn English) pushed Caldwell ahead 57-44 with four minutes left. Felician never came closer than 10 points the rest of the way, losing to Caldwell for the third time this year and the 13th time in the past 14 meetings. The victory is Caldwell's first CACC Tournament win since capturing the 2003 tournament, ending a five-game losing skid.
The Cougars stepped up their shooting in the second half, hitting 45.5 percent from the floor. Caldwell also went to the free throw line 29 times compared to 12 times for Felician, making 79.3 percent (23-of-29). The Golden Falcons committed twice as many fouls as Caldwell (24-12) in the game.
Sophomore guard Torey Jones (Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.), who was named to the all-CACC first team today, had 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Leedham, who received all-conference honorable mention, finished with 14 points, as did Anderson, a second team selection and the CACC Rookie of the Year. Anderson also grabbed eight rebounds and swiped a career-high five steals. Sophomore center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) registered a game-high nine boards to go with three blocks, while Lambert (pictured) contributed nine points and two steals. Baskerville carried Felician with 29 points and 10 rebounds. No other Golden Falcon player scored more than six points.
Caldwell, seeded second in the CACC North and ranked ninth in the East Region, will face the South's top seed in Holy Family, which is ranked first in the East Region. The Tigers defeated the Cougars, 68-55 on Jan. 29 in the Newman Center. The rematch will take place on Friday at 12:00 p.m. in Holy Family's Campus Center, which will serve as host of the CACC men's and women's basketball tournaments. The semifinal winners will play for the championship on Saturday, Mar. 5 at 4:00 p.m.
2010-11 CACC Women's Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals
N1 Bloomfield 56, N4 Dominican 42
N2 Caldwell 65, N3 Felician 54
S1 Holy Family 72, S4 Philadelphia 58
S3 Goldey-Beacom 57, USciences 54
Semifinals (at Holy Family University)
N2 Caldwell at S1 Holy Family, 12 pm
S3 Goldey-Beacom vs. N1 Bloomfield, 2 pm
Finals (at Holy Family University)
Semifinal winners, 4 pm
