CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University women's basketball team used a balanced scoring effort to sink Felician University 80-61 in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener.
 
The Cougars improve to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the CACC, while the Golden Falcons fall to 2-4 and 0-1 in conference play.
 
Caldwell jumped out to an early lead as they ripped off the first 11 points of the game. Junior Kristen Siscamanis (Winthrop, Mass.) turned in a three-point play as she totaled seven points in the early going. Senior Kristen Drogsler (Middle Village, N.Y.) added four points to help Caldwell build an early lead.
 
The Golden Falcons battled back as they closed the gap to 16-12 early in the second quarter. Siscamanis added a bucket, while sophomore Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.) drained a triple to push the Cougar lead to 21-12.
 
Felician rallied back as they pulled even late in the first half. The Golden Falcons tied the score at 23 with 5:09 left in the second quarter.
 
The Cougars responded with a 12-0 run to push their lead back to double-digits. Drogsler converted a pair of three-point plays in the run. Lebron and Drogsler each added triples as Caldwell pushed ahead 35-23 at the 3:24 mark. Drogsler finished with 15 first half points to give the Cougars a 40-28 lead at halftime.
 
Felician closed the gap to nine points midway through the third quarter at 46-37. Lebron heated up from the outside as she drained a trio of three-pointers over the next four minutes to push the Cougar lead to 60-43 late in the quarter.
 
The Golden Falcons trimmed the score back to nine points early in the fourth quarter at 62-53. Lebron answered the call again with a triple to put the Cougars back in front by double digits to stay. Caldwell connected on ten free throws over the final six minutes to hold off any Felician rally.
 
Lebron drained a career-high six triples on her way to setting a career-high with 18 points to lead all scorers in the game. Drogsler totaled 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, while senior Sharell Sanders (Dorchester, Mass.) tallied four points, nine boards and seven assists. Siscamanis totaled 11 points, two steals and three rebounds, while junior Andie Lennon (Secaucus, N.J.) chipped in eight points, eight assists and two steals. Senior Maura Kelty (Barrington, R.I.) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, while freshman Maureen Coakley (Howell, N.J.) posted 13 points and six boards.
 
The Cougars host Queens College on Wednesday, December 6 for a non-conference game at 5:30 pm at the Newman Center.