CALDWELL, N.J. – The last time Caldwell University had lost a game was January 14th, winning nine games since that day. That loss for the Cougars just so happened to come against Post University Women's Basketball on the road, and Tuesday night would yield a similar result as the Eagles, despite having three of their eight players foul out, held off Caldwell late on the road for a 53-48 victory.

The win for Post was their third overall, tying their longest winning streak of the season, while being the third consecutive win in the all-time series against Caldwell, whom they have now swept the season series from.

THE BASIC

Post University 53, Caldwell University 48

Post University (11-12, 8-9 CACC)

Caldwell University (19-7, 12-6 CACC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Different from the first time the two teams squared off, Post ran away with the first quarter, taking a 17-4 lead after 10 minutes of action, which ironically was the exact score of their third quarter against Caldwell in the first matchup that helped them pull away for a 55-42 win. It took over five minutes for the Cougars to get their first point when, with 4:16 left, junior guard Jah'Nel Lewis made one of her free throws, after the Eagles started the game on a 13-0 run.

All four first-quarter points by Caldwell came from the free-throw line, with three of them coming from Lewis, as the team was 0-for-9 from the field. Back on January 14th in Waterbury, the Cougars were 1-for-11 in that four-point third they had, with the lone shot being a three, and the other point coming from the stripe.
An evenly matched second quarter, in which the Cougars outscored Post, 14-13, was eerily reminiscent as well of the first meeting, but flipped as Post had a 14-13 lead after the first quarter, as that frame ended in January; however, this one also ended with a layup from sophomore forward Tiara Tyson with mere seconds left. Sending Post into the locker room with a 12-point lead, 30-18, behind an 11-for-27 shooting effort (40.7%), which included three shots from three-point range (3-for-9).

The first field goal of the game for the Cougars did not come until 9:40 remaining in the second, when senior guard Lucy Coogan connected on a jumper, one of only five first-half field goals for the home team, who shot 5-for-24 (20.8%) through 20 minutes and missed all eight three-point attempts. Of the 18 points scored, eight of them came off free throws, where Caldwell was 8-for-10 (80%).
The turnover battle also heavily favored Post by an 11-2 margin, leading to a 12-0 edge in points off turnovers. A balanced offensive attack saw both graduate forward Megan Landsiedel, who returned from a three-game absence, and sophomore guard Jasmine Day-Cox tied for the team lead in points with six each. Six points from sophomore guard Sofia Maldonado paced Caldwell, with four from the free-throw line, who also led the team with six rebounds, while Lewis had five points on just 1-for-10 shooting.

Throughout the second half, Post would maintain its lead, going up by as many as 15 points, 37-22, with 5:21 left in the third following a three-point play from senior forward Claire Greene. Greene would nearly have her third straight double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and seven points in the Eagle win.

But Caldwell would not go away so easily, as an early nine-point lead in the fourth quarter was whittled down to three points thanks to four straight points from the free-throw line and a layup from Lewis. In response, Landsiedel's third three-pointer of the contest and a layup from Green reignited an eight-point advantage for the visitors as the Cougars would never get closer than four points again.
This all came as a trio of Post players fouled out down the stretch in junior forward Alyssa Rossignol with 4:13 left, Day-Cox at the 3:22 mark, and then Tyson with 32 seconds left in what was a four-point game, 49-45, at the time. The margin fell to four points after junior guard Neysa Aguilar hit a three with 2:34 remaining in regulation, but neither side would record a basket until Landsiedel's free throws with 19 seconds left.

Those would be the shots that iced the 53-48 win for the Eagles, led by 13 points from Landsiedel on 3-for-8 shooting, in which she hit 3-of-6 from long range and all four free throw tries, coming inside the final minutes. For Caldwell, Coogan closed with a team-high 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds, followed by Lewis with 12 points, who shot 3-for-18, playing all 40 minutes on a day when both teams shot below 40% overall.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In her return from a three-game absence, Megan Landsiedel led the Post University offense with 13 points on 3-for-8 shooting, all three makes coming from three, in 34 minutes as a starter
• Lucy Coogan narrowly missed out on a double-double for Caldwell University with 15 points to lead the Cougars on 5-for-12 shooting with nine rebounds
• For the third consecutive game, Claire Greene finished with double-digit rebounds, recording 10 rebounds while nearly having her third straight double-double with seven points
• After losing two straight games to Caldwell University, Post University has won its last three games against the Cougars and 10 of the last 12 overall

WHO'S NEXT
Post University returns home for Senior Day this Saturday at 1:00 PM against Goldey-Beacom College in the Drubner Center. After winning four consecutive games against the Lightning, the Eagles have lost three of the last four games, including the most recent matchup on the road, 65-48.