SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 8, 2015) - The Western New England University women's basketball team built a ten-point halftime lead and stretched it to twenty after three quarters en route to a convincing 63-41 victory over Roger Williams University this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 

Senior forward Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) led the way for the Golden Bears, registering her fourth double-double of the season and 30^th of her career with game-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (14) to go with three assists and two blocks, while also surpassing the 1000-point mark for her career in the process. Vujs becomes the 13^th member of the Western New England women's basketball 1000-point club and first since former teammate Emily Savino, who graduated in 2013.
 
Junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) recorded nine points and three rebounds for Western New England, and sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) shook off a tough start shooting the ball to finish with a strong all-around effort of eight points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Freshman guard Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) also made a significant contribution in 18 minutes off the bench, posting season-highs in points (7) and rebounds (8).
 
Roger Williams, which was picked to finish second in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, was led by junior guard Katie Lowerre (Sharon, Mass.), who totaled 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-2 from three-point range, and eight rebounds. Classmate Emma Klis (East Northport, N.Y.) was the Hawks' second leading scorer with six points, while junior Bridget Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) added five points and six boards.
 
Anderson scored eight of her nine points over the first 6:19 of the game to help the Golden Bears open up a 12-6 lead, while freshmen Allison Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Aliyah Brito (Brockton, Mass.) recorded baskets late in the first quarter as Western New England led 17-11 after ten minutes.
 
The Golden Bears increased their advantage to ten (21-11) after two straight baskets by Vujs, including a jumper that put her over the 1000-point mark four minutes into the second quarter, and led by that same margin at the break.
 
Western New England never let its cushion dip below eight points in the third quarter, extending it to 14 (38-24) on a three-pointer by O'Neill with 4:18 on the clock. The sophomore drained a pair of free throws later in the quarter as the Golden Bears pushed their lead to 19 (46-27), and Gilhool hit a runner at the buzzer to give the home team its first 20-point advantage of the night (50-30).
 
Western New England continued to roll in the fourth, opening up a game-high 26-point lead (57-31) when O'Neill made one of two free throws midway through the quarter, before cruising to a 22-point win.
 
The Golden Bears limited Roger Williams to just 24.6% (15-of-61) shooting overall, including 20.0% (6-of-30) in the second half, and forced 18 turnovers that led to 18 Western New England points. Vujs made 4-of-5 shots over the final 20 minutes, pacing the Golden Bears to a 52.6% (10-of-19) shooting clip in the second half. Western New England went 21-of-50 (42%) from the field overall and attempted 34 free throws to Roger Williams' 12.
 
Western New England (4-4, 2-1 CCC) will be off for the next three weeks, before heading down to Puerto Rico for a pair of non-conference contests against Arcadia University and the University of Puerto Rico Bayamon on December 29-30. Roger Williams (4-5, 1-2 CCC) returns to action on Tuesday, January 5 against Nichols College.