BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – The Bloomfield College Bears women's basketball team were in command by ten points with just five minutes remaining, but the Cougars of Caldwell University clawed back into the game to force overtime and eventually defeat the Bears at home, 77-70 Wednesday night in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) battle. The setback in the Bears conference opener drops them to 2-3 on season and 0-1 in CACC action while the Cougars improve to 2-0 in the conference and 4-4 overall.

Bloomfield began the game slow, spotting Caldwell the first six points of the contest before erupting on an 8-2 run to tie the match with 12:50 on the clock. The Bears would dig in and bolster a 14 point advantage (34-20) in the first half, connecting on six shots from beyond the arc led by sophomore guard Morgan Taylor (Paterson, N.J.) who hit 2-out of-3. Classmate Tianna Smith (Nanuet, N.Y.) poured in eight points in the opening period and Bloomfield enjoyed a 34-24 halftime lead. A solid performance off the bench by freshman De'Andra Humphries (Boston, Mass) who netted nine points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field, had the Bears in the drivers seat coming out of the lockeroom. On the Cougars side of the ball, senior forward Emily Caswell (Wakefield, R.I.) got off to a great start, grabbing ten rebounds to go along with eight points in the first half.

The Cougars hung in the game, nipping away at the Bloomfield lead to come as close as six points (50-44) on a Caswell jumper but the Bears push it back to a 10-point advantage (57-47) on a made free throw by junior Ariel Wilson (Chesapeake, Va.) with 5:04 remaining in regulation. Caldwell went on a 17-7 run that tied the score at 64-64 culminated by a 3-pointer from junior guard Nicole Angelo (Mount Laurel, N.J.) with 23 seconds left. Bloomfield had an opportunity to hold for the last shot of the game but a turnover by Taylor left Angelo a chance to give the Cougars the win however her three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Early in overtime, a pair of Caswell free throws and a three-pointer by Angelo put the Cougars on top, 71-66 with 3:33 on the clock but the wind was knocked out of the Bears sails who converted just two field goals in the extra stanza. The Cougars closed out the game from the charity stripe to complete the comeback victory and avenge their lost in last year's CACC Tournament final.

Humphries finished the game with sixteen points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field along with Iman Williams (Chesapeake, Va.) who poured in eleven points, gave Bloomfield a 27-16 edge in bench production. Wilson had team-highs in points, assists and steals with 20, 4 and 3 respectively while Smith ended the evening with ten points and four rebounds. Tierra Scott (Bear D.E.) snagged a team-high ten rebounds to go along with seven points and a season-high seven blocks for the Bears.

Caldwell outscored the Bears 20-7 at the free throw line for the game to help offset nine threes by Bloomfield. Caswell finished with 26 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, including 17 on the defensive glass. Senior guard Jessica Coscia (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) contributed a season-high 10 assists to go with five points and two steals. 

The Bears regroup for another CACC showdown on Saturday, Dec. 6 when they hit the road to face the Griffins of Chestnut Hill. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. in the Ann Rusnack Sorgenti Arena. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, from the Bloomfield College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter or Instagram @GO_BCBears.