SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 21, 2015) - The Western New England University women's basketball team outscored visiting Westfield State University 7-2 over the final 2:09 of the fourth quarter to earn a 90-85 victory in its 2015-16 home opener this afternoon at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
Senior forward Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) turned in another outstanding performance for the Golden Bears, pouring in a game-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go with seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Junior guard Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) was also a key contributor with 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point range and 5-of-8 from the three throw line, a game-high eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.
 
Junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) totaled 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five rebounds, a game-high three blocks and two steals, while sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) rounded out the four Golden Bears in double figures with 11 points, three assists and two rebounds.
 
Freshman forward Aliyah Brito (Brockton, Mass.) continued the strong start to her rookie campaign with eight points, five rebounds and two assists in just 14 minutes off the bench as Western New England improved to 2-2.
 
Junior guard Alyssa Darling (Palmer, Mass.) led the way for Westfield State, scoring a team-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-6 from long range and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, to go with a team-best seven assists. Classmate Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) was also in double figures with 13 points and three steals, while junior Kirsy Segarra (Holyoke, Mass.) chipped in with six points and five of the Owls' 15 steals.
 
Tied at 83-83 following a free throw by Westfield State freshman guard Allison Hester (Sutton, Mass.) with 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Olson put the Golden Bears ahead for good with a layup at the 2:09 mark. After a pair of missed Westfield State free throws and a missed jumper, Western New England extended its lead to four (87-83) on a layup by Anderson with 1:23 left.
 
A missed three-pointer by Valley on the ensuing Westfield State possession forced the Owls to foul in an attempt to extend the game. Vujs missed both free throws attempts, but Anderson was there to pull down the offensive rebound before effectively sealing the contest with a layup with 20 seconds on the clock. Westfield State got a late basket on the other end, but would get no closer as the Golden Bears came away with a five-point win.
 
Westfield State led by five (23-18) after the opening ten minutes, but Western New England outscored the Owls 26-17 in the second quarter and carried a 44-40 lead into the locker room. The Golden Bears led by as many as seven on four different occasions in the third quarter, before the visitors battled back to take the lead (61-60) on two free throws by freshman guard Kierra McCarthy (Ludlow, Mass.) with 1:54 remaining. Western New England closed the quarter on a 7-2 run, capped by a Vujs layup as time expired, to take a four-point lead (67-63) into the fourth.
 
Consecutive three-pointers by McCarthy and Segarra allowed the Owls to regain the lead (69-67) 1:53 into the fourth, and the visitors would not trail again until O'Neill knocked down a three-pointer with 4:20 remaining in the game. Westfield State answered with a trey of its own on the next possession, and the game would see three ties after that point, the last of which was 83-83 with 2:34 on the clock.
 
Western New England posted a season-high 61.8 (34-of-55) shooting percentage this afternoon, including a blistering 66.7% (16-of-24) clip in the second half. The Golden Bears also hit 5-of-7 shots from beyond the arc and scored 38 points in the paint.
 
Western New England will be on the road Tuesday night for a non-conference contest at Lasell College, before opening Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Wednesday, December 2 at Gordon College. Westfield State (1-3) returns home to host Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday night.