BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – The Caldwell College women's basketball team saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end with a 74-72 loss to Bloomfield College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference game Wednesday night at the Bloomfield Gym. The Cougars are now 10-6 overall on the season and 7-2 in league play, while the Lady Deacons improve to 8-8, 6-3 CACC.
Caldwell broke open a close game midway through the first half with a 16-4 run that put the Cougars on top, 35-26 with 4:40 on the clock. Five points from Ivettlis Castro helped Bloomfield pull to within four before a basket from freshman guard Jessica Coscia (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) gave Caldwell a 39-33 lead at halftime. Sophomore forward Jeanette Anderson (Lynn, MA/Lynn English) and freshman forward Emily Caswell (Wakefield, RI/Prout School) each scored 11 points in the half, as the Cougars shot 54.8 percent from the floor in the first period.
With Caldwell still leading by six, the Lady Deacons reeled off an 18-6 spree, sparked by eight points from Lauren Deverin, that put the hosts ahead, 62-56 with 8:32 to play. But the Cougars fought back to take a 68-67 lead with a 12-5 run, capped by six points from Anderson, with 2:19 remaining. After Castro drained a three at the two-minute mark, junior center Gillian Felix (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) answered with a basket to tie the score at 70-70. With 38 seconds on the clock, Emily Hall converted a lay-up for a 72-70 Bloomfield edge. The Lady Deacons then forced a shot clock violation and hit a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach.
Caldwell held a 46-34 rebounding advantage and shot 47.4 percent from the floor compared to 40.0 percent for Bloomfield. But the Lady Deacons turned 24 Caldwell turnovers into 26 points, including 16 in the second half, to prevent the Cougars from winning a school-record 10th game in a row.
Anderson finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season. Junior guard Torey Jones (Providence, RI/LaSalle Acad.) added 17 points, Caswell ended up with 13 points, and Coscia dished out nine assists to go with five points. Deverin led Bloomfield with 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Caldwell plays at the University of the Sciences on Saturday, Jan. 21 in another CACC contest. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
