Philadelphia, PA – (1/18/2010) – Six points and little else separated Chestnut Hill College and Caldwell College at halftime of this evening's Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) contest. Unfortunately the Cougars expanded a 36-30 halftime lead to a 75-58 win behind a superior shooting performance. The Cougars hit 18-of-27 (66.7%) from the line and 25-of-59 (42.4%) from the field overcome the Griffins, who were 9-of-17 (52.9%) from the line and 22-of-62 (35.5%) from the floor.

Caldwell College (8-6, 4-3) used a 25-17 rebounding edge and a slightly better shooting percentage (41.2% - 38.2%) to grasp a 36-30 halftime lead. Junior guard Kirsty Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England) carried the Cougars to the break with 12 first-half points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Unfortunately, the Cougars' shooting improved in the second half (11-of-25, 44.0%) while the Griffins struggled (9-of-28, 32.1%), resulting in the 17-point final deficit. Leedham finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Torey Jones (North Providence, R.I.) added 15 points, two blocks, and two steals to the Cougar effort, while freshman forward Ebony Thomas (Jersey City, N.J.) came off the bench to supply 13 points and eight rebounds.

Chestnut Hill College (2-12, 1-5) was balanced offensively through the first half of play. They maintained that balance to the final horn as three Griffins reached double figures. Sophomore forward Aiesha Smith (Philadelphia, PA ) recorded 13 points, five assists, and three steals. Junior guard Jessica Pruiti (Old Bridge, NJ ) and Senior forward Chanta'l Hardy (Philadelphia, PA ) scored 12 points apiece. Pruiti captained the defensive effort with three blocks and a steal, while Hardy added six rebounds to her evening.

The women's basketball team continues their CACC schedule with a 6:00 p.m. home contest against the University of the Sciences on Thursday, January 21.

CALDWELL COLLEGE 75, CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE 58

CALDWELL COLLEGE (8-6, 4-3 CACC)
LEEDHAM, Kirsty 7-21 2-3 19; JONES, Torey 5-11 2-2 15; THOMAS, Ebony 4-12 5-10 13; FEDERICO, Lisa 3-4 1-1 7; GEORGE, Abena 0-2 5-6 5; FELIX, Gillian 2-3 1-2 5; LAMBERT, Kaitlyn 1-2 2-2 4; SHUTZ, Kate 2-3 0-1 4; HUBBARD, Danielle 1-1 0-0 3; CADET, Stephanie 0-0 0-0 0; MULLEN, Margaret 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-59 18-27 75.

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (2-12, 1-5 CACC)
SMITH, Aiesha 4-11 3-4 13; PRUITI, Jessica 5-12 0-0 12; HARDY, Chanta'l 5-10 2-3 12; YACAB, Davina 2-4 3-6 7; ALEXANDER, Lindsay 3-9 0-0 7; LAING, Latoya 2-4 0-0 4; HERALD, Cecelia 1-2 0-2 2; DELAHANTY, Jenn 0-0 1-2 1; BECK, Jenna 0-6 0-0 0; STAYROOK, Ashlen 0-0 0-0 0; GLASS, Maryanne 0-1 0-0 0; GLASS, Carley 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 22-62 9-17 58.

Points by Half                        1       2      F
Caldwell College                  36    39    75
Chestnut Hill College          30    28    58

3-point goals--Caldwell College 7-15 (JONES, Torey 3-5; LEEDHAM, Kirsty 3-9; HUBBARD, Danielle 1-1), Chestnut Hill College 5-16 (PRUITI, Jessica 2-6; SMITH, Aiesha 2-4; ALEXANDER, Lindsay 1-2; LAING, Latoya 0-1; GLASS, Carley 0-1; HARDY, Chanta'l 0-2). Fouled out--Caldwell College-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. Rebounds--Caldwell College 46 (LEEDHAM, Kirsty 9), Chestnut Hill College 38 (HARDY, Chanta'l 6). Assists--Caldwell College 18 (GEORGE, Abena 6), Chestnut Hill College 12 (SMITH, Aiesha 5). Total fouls—Caldwell College 18, Chestnut Hill College 22. Technical fouls—Caldwell College-None, Chestnut Hill College-None. A-102