CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University women's basketball team came up short in their quest for the second conference tournament title in program history as they fell to USciences 72-57 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Cougars fall to 25-5 overall, while Devils improve to 26-5 and secure the conference's automatic bid to next weekend's NCAA Division II Championship. The NCAA Division II Women's Basketball selection show will be held via ncaa.com tonight at 10 pm.
 
The teams battled through an exciting first quarter that featured three lead changes and seven ties. Junior Kristen Drogsler (Middle Village, N.Y.), senior Antoinette Pilla (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and sophomore Andie Lennon (Secaucus, N.J.) each connected on triples in the opening quarter that ended with the score tied at 17.
 
Lennon hit a pair at the free throw line early in the second quarter but the Devils used a 13-2 run to push out to a 30-21 lead late in the quarter. Pilla and sophomore Rachel Simon (Wallkill, N.Y.) each connected on triples as part of an 8-0 run for the Cougars. Junior Sharell Sanders (Dorchester, Mass.) drained a pair from the free throw line at the 1:57 mark to cut the score to 30-29. USciences netted a pair of late buckets as they took a 34-29 lead into halftime.
 
The Devils opened the second half with 13 unanswered points to push their halftime lead to 18 points at 47-29 midway through the third quarter. Pilla drained a trifecta, while junior Maura Kelty (Barrington, R.I.) added a three-point play to pull Caldwell to within 47-35 with 3:01 remaining in the quarter.
 
USciences held a double digit lead the rest of the way as they were paced by 6-for-10 shooting from downtown in second half. Caldwell got as close as 11 points late in the fourth quarter but the Devils held their lead to the final buzzer.
 
Pilla led the way with 20 points in her final home game at the Newman Center. She drained four triples and added two assists. Lennon chipped in 13 points, two assists and three steals, while Kelty totaled nine points and five rebounds. Drogsler finished with seven points and five rebounds, while Sanders tallied four points, five boards and four assists.
 
Pilla and Sanders were selected to the CACC All-Tournament Team for their outstanding performances on the court during the CACC Championship. 

The Cougars await word on a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Championship next weekend. Caldwell was ranked among the top teams in the region as they were #3 in the current NCAA Division II East Region poll. The selection show can be viewed tonight at 10 pm at http://ncaa.com/liveschedule