CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University women's basketball sophomore Halle Brown (Downingtown, Pa.) led the way with 19 points as the Cougars held off Felician University 49-45 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.
 
The Cougars improve to 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the CACC, while the Golden Falcons fall to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
 
Caldwell jumped out to a double-digit first quarter lead powered by a trio of Brown three-pointers. Junior Shadajah Thomas (Plainfield, N.J.) and junior Paula Dits (Alicante, Spain) also added trifectas to help the Cougars build a 19-7 lead late in the quarter.
 
The Golden Falcons battled back as they trimmed the score to three points as the Cougars held a 24-21 lead at halftime.
 
Felician scored the first seven points of the second half to pull ahead by four points at 28-24. Caldwell answered with seven straight points to retake a three-point lead. The teams traded leads throughout the third and fourth quarter.
 
Dits pulled the Cougars even at 45 with a free throw with 1:45 left in the game. Caldwell pulled away with four free throws in the final minute including three from Brown.
 
Brown led the Cougars with 19 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals. Dits netted 14 points and eight boards, while Thomas finished with nine points and three rebounds. Sophomore Jessica Wagoner (Clifton Park, N.Y.) tallied seven rebounds and four blocks.
 
The Cougars return to action as they host Concordia College on Saturday, February 13 at 4 pm in a CACC contest. The game will be streamed on the CACC Network at caccnetwork.com.