CALDWELL, N.J. –  If Post University Women's Basketball wants to be the top seed in the 2023-24 CACC Women's Basketball Championship next week, they are going to have to wait until Saturday afternoon on Senior Day in the Drubner Center. A big second half for Caldwell University coupled with cold shooting from the Eagles led to a 73-69 road defeat and put their ability to wrap up the North Division Regular Season Championship on hold until Saturday at home.
 
With that loss coupled by a win for Felician University against Dominican (N.Y.), 71-67, the Eagles will wait until Saturday and have to beat the University of Bridgeport to capture the top seed in the North Division at the Drubner Center. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Post will host a first-round playoff game next Tuesday at home.

THE BASICS

Post University 69, Caldwell University 73

Post University (16-9, 11-4 CACC)
 
Caldwell University (8-18, 4-11 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED 
It was the Simmons and Stevenson show in the opening quarter as graduate guards Dede Stevenson and TiJanae Simmons were on fire for the Eagles through the first 10 minutes. Simmons opened the game with eight first-quarter points on 3-of-4 shooting with two threes while Stevenson lurked close behind with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting to help pace Post to a nine-point lead, 28-20, after one. On the other side, sophomore forward Lucy Coogan, who scored 22 points in the first game between the two teams, had 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting while Caldwell took just 17 shots from the floor. In all, the Post offense was a resounding 10-for-16 (62.5%) from the floor compared to an 8-for-17 effort (47.1%) for the Cougars to start the game.
 
Coogan would continue to lead the way for Caldwell in the second quarter as eight more points for the sophomore brought her to a team-high 18 points going into the half. Freshman guard Jahnel Lewis also went to work following her six-point first with 12 total points at the half with a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the free throw line. After being held to five points in the opening quarter, graduate shooting guard Maya Klein also started to find her way onto the scoreboard, putting together a 13-point first half as Post had three players in double figures through 20 minutes in Klein, Simmons, and Stevenson.
 
After the Cougars started the second on a 12-3 scoring run to pull even at 31, two threes from Klein and a three from Stevenson helped to re-up the Post lead to seven points as part of a 9-2 run, 40-33. That run would help the Eagles sustain their edge heading into the half, 43-39. However, a back-and-forth second half would turn that lead on its head, seeing both teams battle until the last minute and put Caldwell in front for the first time all evening.
 
Five straight points by Stevenson and Simmons put the Eagles ahead by seven, 48-41, with 7:20 remaining in the third when the Cougars flipped the script following a pair of ties at 48 and 51. When sophomore guard Amayah Bray's three tied the game at that 51 mark, it would start a 7-0 run for Caldwell, giving them their largest lead in the contest, 55-51. While Post responded to tie it up twice on a pair of layups from junior guard Naj White, Lewis and freshman guard Brianna Carey scored the final three points of the third to send the Cougars into the fourth up three, 60-57.
 
Neither team would be able to manufacture enough offense to pull away from the other, by Caldwell held steady to a five-point lead after Carey kicked off the fourth with a pair of free throws and Coogan hit a jumper following a White layup to make it 64-59. When Simmons nailed her jumper with 6:34 to go in regulation, a nearly three-minute scoring drought for both teams finally ended in a three by graduate forward Trinity Bravo to tie the game at 67 all with 3:43 left. That three marked the first points for Bravo in the entire game and she would go on to make two free throws with 1:29 to go to give Post the lead back, 69-67.
 
Continuing her hot second half, Carey drained a three with 42 seconds on the clock, and missed shots by Simmons and Bravo led to a Bray defensive rebound with 17 seconds remaining with the Cougars still in control by one, 70-69. Sending Coogan to the line for two free throws, Caldwell's leading scorer put her team ahead by three, 72-69, in the final 10 seconds. A missed three by Bravo and two missed free throws by graduate forward Saule Kauptye would end the Eagles' chances to win as the Cougars got the come-from-behind win, 73-69.
 
BY THE NUMBERS   

• Four Eagles finished in double figures with TiJanae Simmons leading the way with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting – Lucy Coogan finished with a team-high 26 points and 17 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes and Jahnel Lewis dropped 20 points for the Cougars
• Cold shooting in the second half would play a big role in Post's defeat, shooting only 10-for-33 (30%) with four threes after shooting 15-of-32 (46.8%) in the first half with seven threes
• Trouble at the free throw line continues to plague Post University as the Eagles went 8-for-14 tonight and have shot under 60% in three of their last four games from the charity stripe
• The loss to Caldwell University snaps a seven-game winning streak for Post University in the all-time series – Before tonight, the last loss for the Eagles came during the 2018-19 season on the road to the Cougars, 61-47

 
WHO'S NEXT 
Post University closes the season on Senior Day against the University of Bridgeport inside the Drubner Center this Saturday for a 1:00 PM tip-off. The Eagles have won four straight games in the all-time series against the Purple Knights after dispatching them on the road this season, 72-64, back in January.