LAKEWOOD, NJ- The Georgian Court University Lions basketball squad, taking the floor for the final time in 2011-12, turned a game that had blowout city written all over it into one of the most thrilling contests of the season as GCU dropped a narrow 70-63 decision to visiting Caldwell College in the Wellness Center.

The Lions, looking emotionally and physically spent after a long year and a stirring pregame "Senior Day" ceremony celebrating teammate Samantha Foley, were almost non-existent in the first half as the visiting Cougars quickly jumped out to an 8-0 advantage and strolled to a 42-21, 21-point lead at intermission.

GCU could not get anything going offensively in the first as the team shot a paltry 9-for-30 (30%) from the floor. In contrast, Caldwell drained 18 of 34 field-goal efforts for a satisfying 52.9% from the field.

Caldwell's Torey Jones (Jr.- Providence, RI) scorched the Lions for 17 first-half points with a perfect 7-for-7 shooting effort from the floor, which included knocking down all three of her three-point attempts.

Teammate Willeen Capehart (Sr.-Providence, RI) contributed 11 points of her own in the first stanza.

The Cougars (16-10, 13-6 CACC) expanded its lead to a game-high 26 points on a free throw from Gillian Felix (Jr.-Mahopac, NY)  with 13:39 remaining, making the score 53-27. The Lions would then begin its surge and chip away at the mighty deficit.

A jump shot from Shauneia McPhearson with 3:18 on the clock completed an urgent 29-10 sprint for GCU and shaved Caldwell's lead to just seven points at 63-56. The Lions would close the gap to seven points on three more occasions over the final three-plus minutes, but that would be as close as the Cougars would permit.

Brittany Baker led the second-half charge for Georgian Court as she collected 10 points and six rebounds in the period. Tahira Matthews tallied eight of her 11 points and eight of her nine total boards in the stanza, accompanied by McPhearson's nine points (11 total) and five rebounds (six overall).

Jones topped Caldwell with a game-high 21 points on the day, just ahead of Capehart's 20-point effort. Kaitlyn Lambert (Sr.-Cumberland, RI) snared 10 rebounds and dropped in eight points while Jessica Coscia (Fr.-Staten Island, NY) distributed a game-best 10 assists. 
 
As for GCU, Baker presented her second double-double of the week with a team-high 14 points and 10 boards. Ebony Sellers pilfered seven steals to go along with nine points and four assists. Foley collected four points and three steals in the senior's final collegiate contest.

Jasmine Lewis and Chinyere Ozuzu added eight points and six points, respectively, for Georgian Court.