SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 5, 2015) - The Western New England University women's basketball team's upset bid came up just short this afternoon, as No. 10/16 nationally ranked University of New England rallied late for a 57-52 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

The Golden Bears were in control for much of the game and led by five early in the fourth quarter, but UNE used a 12-2 run over the final five and a half minutes of regulation to escape with the win.

The Nor'easters, who hadn't held a lead in over eight minutes, reclaimed a 45-44 edge 13 seconds into the fourth on a jumper by sophomore guard Sam MacDonald (Lebanon, N.H.). Western New England answered with a 6-0 run, however, capped by junior Emily Anderson's (Rocky Hill, Conn.) jumper with 7:28 on the clock, to open up a 50-45 advantage.

UNE took control from there, tying the score at 50 on a layup by sophomore Olivia Shaw (Saco, Maine) with three minutes left before taking the lead for good at the 2:32 mark when senior guard Sadie DiPierro (South Portland, Maine) converted another layup. Senior guard Alanna Vose (Cushing, Maine) eventually capped the 10-0 run for the Nor'easters with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining in the game, as UNE extended its advantage to five (55-50). Western New England senior forward Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) ended the Golden Bears' scoring drought with four seconds left, but it was too late as the Nor'easters held on for a five-point win.

Vujs finished with ten points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season and 29^th of her career. The senior, who entered this afternoon's action with 986 career points, moved to within four of becoming Western New England's 13th 1000-point scorer in program history. Anderson added ten points on 4-of-8 shooting in just 16 minutes, while sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) totaled seven points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) also had seven points, and freshman Allison Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) chipped in with five points and five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

The Nor'easters were led by junior center Alicia Brown (Greenland, N.H.), who recorded a game-high 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go with five rebounds, and Vose, who finished with 11 points and three steals.

UNE led 11-3 just over three minutes into the first quarter behind nine points from Brown, but Western New England answered with an 8-0 run to tie the score at 11 with 4:01 left. After MacDonald made both free throws at the 2:12 mark, the Golden Bears closed the quarter on a 5-0 run and led 16-13 after ten minutes.

Western New England led by as many as six (26-20) in the second quarter following a layup by freshman Aliyah Brito (Brockton, Mass.) with 3:03 left before the break, but the Nor'easters closed the gap to three (28-25) at halftime with the help of two MacDonald free throws and a three-pointer by Vose.

The Nor'easters scored the first five points of the third quarter, regaining a 30-28 lead after Vose converted a layup at the 8:09 mark, but Olson nailed a triple on Western New England's ensuing possession that sparked a 7-0 run as the Golden Bears led 35-30 with 4:39 left in the quarter. UNE was again able to claw back to within a point (44-43) by the end of the third, as DiPierro knocked down a jumper with 22 seconds remaining.

Western New England held UNE to a 28.4% (19-of-67) shooting clip overall, including 8.3% (2-of-24) from three-point range, but the Golden Bears were hampered by 22 turnovers, 13 of which came in the second half.

Western New England (3-4, 1-1 CCC) will look to bounce back on Tuesday night with another key conference matchup against Roger Williams at the AHLC. The Nor'easters (5-1, 2-0 CCC) are off until December 20, when they head to Puerto Rico for two games.