CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University women's basketball team fell short to Concordia College 76-74 in overtime in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
The Cougars fall to 2-13 overall and 2-4 in the CACC, while the Clippers improve to 3-11 and 2-3 in conference play.
Caldwell got off to a fast start as they netted the first 20 points of the game. Graduate
Alessia Smaldone (Malnate, Italy) scored eight points, while freshman
Imogen Cook (North Berwick, Scotland) added a three-pointer. Senior
Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.) connected on three trifectas in the run, including the final one at the 4:45 mark of the opening quarter.
Lebron added a pair of three-pointers early in the second quarter to help the Cougars pulled ahead 34-7 at the 7:27 mark. Smaldone drained a trifecta just before halftime to help Caldwell hold a 40-17 advantage at the break.
Sophomore
Paula Dits (Alicante, Spain) and Lebron connected on three-pointers in the third quarter, while freshman
Rebecca Morrison (Ayrshire, Scotland) scored in the paint with 4:18 left to help the Cougars pull ahead 54-26.
Concordia rallied back as they closed the gap to nine points at 60-51 early in the fourth quarter. Sophomore
Tamrin Henderson (Woodbridge, Va.) scored in the paint to push their lead back to double digits. The Clippers answered as they cut the score down to 63-61 with 2:54 left in regulation. Henderson and freshman
Halle Brown (Downington, Pa.) provided a little breathing room with a pair of buckets to extend their lead to 67-61 with just over two minutes to play. Concordia scored the final six points of regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
The teams traded points for most of the overtime period but the Clippers pulled ahead 74-71 with under a minute to play. Cook drained a game-tying clutch three-pointer to even the score at 74. Concordia netted the eventual game-winner with 2.7 seconds left with a final shot attempt by Caldwell falling off the mark at the buzzer.
Lebron tied Caldwell's NCAA-era single game record with eight three-pointers in the game, matching her previous mark for the third time along with former Caldwell standout Kristen Drogsler. She finished with 24 points, four boards and three assists. Smaldone posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds along with four assists and three steals. Cook totaled 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Morrison added eight points and six boards.
The Cougars travel to Georgian Court University for a CACC contest on Saturday, January 11 at noon.
