CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell University women's basketball team earned its first win of the 2014-15 season with a 91-84 victory over the University of Bridgeport in a non-league game Thursday evening in the George R. Newman Center. The win is the first at Caldwell for new head coach Kristina Danella, who is now 1-2 in her first season. The Purple Knights fall to 1-2.

The Cougars took control of the game with an 18-2 run that turned a 17-13 deficit into a 31-19 lead with 6:08 left in the first half. The run included three three-pointers from sophomore guard Antoinette Pilla (Scarsdale, NY/Ardsley). Caldwell increased its lead to as many as 17 before taking a 47-32 edge at halftime. Pilla hit four threes in the half, while senior forward Emily Caswell (Wakefield, RI/Prout School) tallied a double-double in the first 20 minutes with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

In the second half, Bridgeport started well with a 7-0 run, capped by a three from Jennifer Kukukkaya that made the score 47-39 at the 16:11 mark. Three-pointers from senior guard Devin Gold (New Hope, PA/Council Rock North) and junior guard Nicole Angelo (Mount Laurel, NJ/Camden Catholic) pushed the lead back to 14, 59-45 with 13:20 to play. The Purple Knights came as close as six points following a three-pointer by Jenna Hoffman at the one-minute mark, but it was not enough to keep Danella from getting her first win as Caldwell's head coach.

The Cougars had five players score in double-figures, led by Caswell with 28 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Freshman forward Karlie O'Driscoll (Sharon, MA/Sharon) shot 8-of-9 from the field to finish with 18 points in her best game as a Cougar. Angelo and senior guard Jessica Coscia (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) had 12 and 10 points, respectively, with Coscia delivering three assists. Kukukkaya led Bridgeport with 24 points, while Shannon Holt added 12 points and 10 boards.

Caldwell plays a non-conference game at Lock Haven University on Saturday, Nov. 22, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in Lock Haven, Pa.