CALDWELL, N.J.- The Caldwell University women's basketball team kicked off the second half of their season with a 54-43 win over Georgian Court University in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.  
 
The Cougars improve to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in the CACC, while the Lions fall to 3-8 and 0-4 in conference play.
 
Caldwell got off to an early lead as junior Halle Brown (Downingtown, Pa.) drained a three-pointer to help the Cougars jump out to a 5-0 lead. The Cougars led by as much as 20-12 midway through the second quarter. The Lions rallied late in the second quarter to close the gap to 25-23 at halftime.
 
Georgian Court scored the first points of the second half to tie the score at 25. The Cougars answered with a 14-4 run to pull ahead by double digits. Junior Casey O'Shaughnessy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) started the run with a triple, while junior Rebecca Morrison (Ayrshire, Scotland) added four points. Senior Paula Dits (Alicante, Spain) drained a trifecta and capped the run with a bucket at the 3:33 mark of the third quarter for a 39-29 lead.
 
The Lions got as close at eight points before the Cougars outpaced Georgian Court in the final quarter for their second conference win of the season.  
 
O'Shaughnessy led the way with 16 points and four rebounds as she drained 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Dits totaled 13 points and six boards, while junior Jessica Wagoner (Clifton Park, N.Y.) finished with six rebounds and four blocks. Graduate Shanice Graves (Brooklyn, N.Y.) turned in an all-around effort as she recorded a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds along with five assists and five steals.
 
The Cougars host Holy Family University for a CACC contest on Saturday, January 8 at 1 pm.