CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University women's basketball graduate Alessia Smaldone (Malnate, Italy) led the way with 19 points as the Cougars fell short 70-65 to Dominican College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars fall to 3-10 overall and 3-3 in the CACC, while the Chargers improve to 6-8 and 4-1 in conference play.
 
Junior Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.) drained an early triple, while freshman Paula Dits (Alicante, Spain) scored a pair of lay-ups to help Caldwell take an early 7-4 lead. Dominican battled back as they pulled ahead 21-13 early in the second quarter.
 
Caldwell closed out the second quarter with a 20-9 run to take a halftime lead. Senior Andie Lennon (Secaucus, N.J.) netted six points, while Lebron totaled five points in the run. Dits connected on a triple right before the half to give the Cougars a 33-29 lead at the break.
 
The Chargers rallied to start the second half as they pushed ahead 38-37 midway through the third quarter. The teams traded leads with Dominican taking a 54-50 lead early in the fourth quarter.
 
Caldwell ripped off nine straight points to take a five-point lead. Smaldone converted a three-point play, while hit four free throws. Smaldone netted a bucket at the 4:48 mark to give the Cougars a 59-54 lead. Dominican scored the next nine points and hit five free throws in the final minute to hold off the Cougars.
 
Smaldone led the way with 19 points and three steals. Lennon tallied 16 points, five assists, three boards and three steals. Freshman Tamrin Henderson (Woodbridge, Va.) totaled 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Dits totaled nine points and eight boards, while Lebron finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
 
The Cougars travel to Goldey-Beacom College for a CACC match-up on Saturday, January 12 at 1:00 pm.