PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Caldwell University women's basketball senior Kristen Drogsler (Middle Village, N.Y.) led the way with 14 points but the Cougars came up short to USciences 61-52 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Semifinals hosted by Jefferson.
 
The North #2 Cougars fall to 24-6 on the season, while South #1 Devils improve to 27-3 and advance to Sunday's Championship final.
 
USciences jumped out to an early lead as they led 14-10 late in the opening quarter. The Cougars ripped off six unanswered points as senior Karlie O'Driscoll (Sharon, Mass.) scored all six points to give Caldwell a 16-14 lead early in the second quarter.
 
The Devils pulled even at 16 but O'Driscoll put Caldwell back in front with a free throw. Drogsler added a triple as the Cougars pushed ahead 20-16 with 5:24 left in the opening half. USciences battled back down the stretch and scored a late bucket to tie the score at 24 at halftime.
 
Junior Andie Lennon (Secaucus, N.J.) and Drogsler each connected on free throws early in the second half to help Caldwell push ahead 28-24. The Devils pulled even at 30 with 5:51 left in the third quarter.
 
Senior Sharell Sanders (Dorchester, Mass.) drained a triple to put the Cougars back in front 33-30 midway through the quarter. The Devils went on a 13-4 run to take a six-point lead at 43-37 early in the fourth quarter.
 
O'Driscoll scored in the paint and sophomore Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.) drained a triple to close the gap to 43-42 with 6:49 left in the game. The Devils extended their lead to seven points and hit eight free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
 
Drogsler led the Cougars with 14 points, while O'Driscoll finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Sanders tallied 11 points, three boards, five assists and two steals. Senior Maura Kelty (Barrington, R.I.) chipped in eight points and eight rebounds.
 
The Cougars were ranked fifth in the final NCAA Division II East Region of the season. Caldwell awaits a potential at-large bid to the NCAA DII Championship as the top-8 teams in the region advance to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA DII women's bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 4 and will be streamed live on ncaa.com at 10 pm.