CALDWELL, N.J. -- A layup with 30 seconds left gave second seeded Felician the lead and the Golden Falcons held on for a 65-61 win over Caldwell in the CACC Women's Basketball semifinals at the George R. Newman Center on Saturday evening.

In a tight first half, the Cougars took a 29-28 lead with 1:26 left on a baseline jumper by junior forward Shauntia Alexander (No. Plainfield, N.J.) then extended to a 33-28 halftime edge on two free throws by junior guard Jah'Nel Lewis (Jersey City, N.J.) and a buzzer-beating banked 18-footer by Alexander.

The Cougars built a seven-point second half lead, a three pointer by Junior guard Neysa Aguilar (Middlesex, N.J.) with 1:44 to play in the third capping the run at 47-40. But the Golden Falcons rallied, retaking the lead with a 10-1 run before a senior forward Lucy Coogan (Kilkenny, Ireland) layup tied it with 7:16 left in the fourth, and her three pointer put the Cougars back ahead with 6:04 left.

After a free throw and layup for Felician tied the game again at 53 with 4:51 to play, Aguilar took over, scoring the next eight Cougars points on a trifecta with 4:27 left, another right angle trey with 3:34 to play and a 13-footer to make it 61-56 at the 2:49 mark.

After the Golden Falcons pulled to within 61-58, the Cougars drew the shot clock down under five, and after a missed shot, junior guard Brooke Corbett (Staten Island, N.Y.) came up with an offensive rebound to keep the Cougars in possession with 1:22 left.

Two layups gave Felician the lead with 30 seconds to play, setting up the final sequence, in which Felician tied up the ball and had alternatinh possession to gain possession with 0:15 left. Caldwell committed three quick fouls to get to the bonus, and after a free throw, Caldwell had one more chance to tie, traling 63-61 with 12.3 seconds on the clock. A steal and layup by Felician provided the final margin.

The game featured seven ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than eight in the contest.
 
Aguilar led the Cougars (21-9) with 21 points, while Coogan netted 17 with a game-high 10 rebounds and Lewis scored 12.