CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University women's basketball senior
Tina Lebron (Manalapan, N.J.) broke the school record for three-pointers as the Cougars fell to Bloomfield College 72-64 on senior day.
The Cougars fall to 8-20 overall and 8-11 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, while the Bears improve to 6-22 and 5-14 in conference play.
The Bears jumped out to a 9-1 lead over the first three minutes of the game. Sophomore
Paula Dits (Alicante, Spain) scored in the paint, while Lebron drained a three-pointer to cut the score to 9-6. Bloomfield extended their lead to 19-8 late in the quarter.
Caldwell answered with a 14-4 run to close the gap to one-point. Graduate
Alessia Smaldone (Malnate, Italy) drained a triple to start the run, while freshman
Rebecca Morrison (Ayrshire, Scotland) added four points. Lebron capped the run with her record-setting three-pointer at the 7:31 mark of the second quarter to trim the score to 23-22.
Bloomfield pushed their lead to 12 points late in the half but the Cougars trailed 45-35 at halftime. The Bears pushed their lead to 48-35 early in the second half before the Cougars battled back.
The Cougars rallied back with a 21-3 run that propelled them to a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Dits netted nine points in the run, including a triple. Lebron added eight points and drained a triple at the 8:38 mark of the fourth quarter to give the Cougars a 56-51 lead.
The Bears battled back with 10 straight points to take a five-point lead and held off the Cougars down the stretch.
Dits recorded a double-double with 17 points and tied her career-best with 14 rebounds. Lebron connected on four three-pointers as she finished with 14 points and four assists. Smaldone tallied 13 points, five boards, five assists and two steals. Morrison finished with eight points, four assists and three steals.
The Cougars secured a spot in the CACC Championship as they finished in third place in the North Division. Caldwell travels to South #2 Holy Family University in the CACC Championship Quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 3 at 6 pm.
