WINTER PARK, Fla.- Caldwell University women's basketball senior Maura Kelty (Barrington, R.I.) scored a season-high 18 points to pace the Cougars to a 74-68 win over Florida Tech to kick off play at the Rollins College Tars Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Caldwell is ranked #20 in this week's D2SIDA Media National Poll. The Cougars remain unbeaten on the season as they improve to 5-0. The Panthers fall to 0-3.
 
In a competitive opening quarter, the teams traded leads eight times and saw three ties. Kelty netted 11 points in the quarter as the Panthers held a 21-16 lead after the first quarter.
 
Caldwell rallied back in the second quarter as senior Kristen Drogsler (Middle Village, N.Y.) dropped in 10 points in the frame. Senior Sharell Sanders (Dorchester, Mass.) put the Cougars in the lead at 30-29 with 2:40 left in the first half as Caldwell held a 32-31 lead at halftime.
 
The Cougars pushed ahead by eight points early in the second half behind a pair of three-pointers from Drogsler and sophomore Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.). Lebron's triple at the 5:47 mark extended the Cougar lead to 40-32.
 
Florida Tech rallied over the final five minutes of the quarter as they retook the lead at 46-45 with 17 seconds left in the quarter. Lebron drained a trifecta with just seconds on the third quarter clock to put Caldwell back in front. Kelty and freshman Maureen Coakley (Howell, N.J.) each added three-pointers early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 51-46.
 
The Panthers battled back as they took their final lead of the game at 55-54 with 6:20 remaining in the contest. Junior Kristen Siscamanis (Winthrop, Mass.) connected on a pair of free throws at the 5:57 mark to put the Cougars back in the lead. Kelty and junior Andie Lennon (Secaucus, N.J) each drained jumpers as Caldwell extended their lead to 60-55 midway through the final quarter.
 
Florida Tech rallied back one final time as they got as close as 62-60 with 2:30 left in the game. Sanders connected on a jumper, while Drogsler drained a triple to give the Cougars a 67-60 lead with just under two minutes to play in the game. Caldwell maintained their lead to the final buzzer as Sanders hit four of the team's seven free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Drogsler led the team with 20 points, eight boards and three assists. Kelty finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Sanders tallied 13 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Senior Karlie O'Driscoll (Sharon, Mass.) finished with 10 points, seven boards and two steals, while Lebron contributed six points and four rebounds.
 
The Cougars wrap up play at the Tars Thanksgiving Classic as they take on #7 ranked and host Rollins on Saturday, November 25 at 2 pm.