Lakewood, N.J.- Caldwell University, on the eve of Winter Storm Jonas, traveled south to Georgian Court University and iced the host-Lions, 80-62, Friday evening in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) inter-divisional women's hoops action.  

The Cougars, winners of three straight, improve to 13-7 (8-3 CACC) on the year while the Lions slip to 5-14 (3-8 CACC) overall.

GCU enjoyed an initial 6-2 lead before Caldwell found its groove and answered with a 27-13 charge to close the first quarter. The Lions responded with a counter-strike, winning the second stanza, 15-11, to enter intermission within two possessions of the Cougars at 40-34.

The Lions scratched to within three points after a Jess Placher three-ball cut the GCU deficit to 53-50 with 00:52 remaining in the third period. The visitors proceeded to sprint to the finish line, outscoring Georgian Court by a 22-10 mark over the final 10:00 to coast to the key conference victory.

Sharell Sanders (So.-Dorchester, Mass.) provided an all-star performance for the Cougars, coming within two assists of a rare triple-double (12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four steals). Nicole Angelo (Sr.-Mt. Laurel, N.J.) topped Caldwell with her 19 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point land. Karlie O'Driscoll (So.-Sharon, Mass.) and Antoinette Pilla (Jr.-Scarsdale, N.Y.) each dropped in a dozen for the victors.

Alliyah Berger, the conference's leader with 17.3 points-per-game, compiled her eighth 20+ scoring effort of the year, and team-leading fourth double-double, with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance for the Lions. Jaelyn Tweedy followed with 11 points and a team-best three steals. Destiny Thompson, GCU's top-rebounder, snared 10 boards in the contest.

GCU returns to action Tuesday evening when they travel to the University of the Sciences for a divisional showdown. The Lions look for the season-sweep after defeating the
Devils, 67-51, in the Wellness Center back on December 8.