SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 25, 2016) - The Western New England University women's basketball team advanced to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship game for the first time since 2008 with a 73-63 semifinal round victory over Roger Williams University this evening at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
Second-seeded Western New England (18-9, 13-5 CCC) will travel to Biddeford, Maine on Saturday afternoon for a matchup with top-seeded and No. 16 nationally ranked University of New England, which defeated Endicott 66-55 in tonight's other semifinal contest. Third-seeded Roger Williams sees its season come to a close at 17-10 and 13-5 in CCC action.
 
The Hawks, who trailed by as many as nine (50-41) late in the third quarter, opened the fourth on a 7-0 run to regain the lead with just under seven minutes remaining. Western New England pulled back ahead on its next possession, but Roger Williams was able to keep the game close, cutting its deficit to one (57-56) on a pair of free throws by senior guard Rachel Battista (Johnston, R.I.) at the 4:26 mark.
 
After failing to score on their next possession, the Golden Bears took control of the game with a late 10-0 run, sparked by a steal and subsequent layup by senior forward Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.). Sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) sank two free throws with 1:30 on the clock to extend Western New England's advantage to 11 (67-56), and the Hawks were unable to get closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
Vujs, who posted her ninth double-double of the season (18 points, ten rebounds, five steals) in the Golden Bears' CCC quarterfinal victory over Salve Regina on Tuesday night, turned in another impressive effort tonight. The CCC Player of the Year scored a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field, going 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 from the free throw line to go with nine rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Vujs also continued her climb up the program's all-time scoring list, moving past Erin Marino '01 into sixth place (1328 points).
 
Junior Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) was the only other Golden Bear in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds, while O'Neill finished with nine points, six assists and five boards. Junior Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) added nine points, and classmate Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.) chipped in with six points and three rebounds.
 
Battista paced the visiting Hawks with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting, connecting on 3-of-9 three-pointers and all four free throws to go with six rebounds. Junior Katie Lowerre (Sharon, Mass.) finished with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals, while senior Angelica Ariola (Prospect, Conn.) contributed 12 points and two assists.
 
Western New England shot just 28.6 percent (10-of-35) in the first half, but knocked down 6-of-11 (54.5%) three-point attempts en route to a 31-26 lead at the break. The Golden Bears bounced back in the second half, shooting 46.1 percent (12-of-26) to finish at 36.1 percent (22-of-61) for the game. Western New England continued to excel at taking care of the ball, turning it over just nine times all game.
 
Roger Williams shot 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field, including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from beyond the arc. The Hawks won the rebounding battle (43-38), but their 14 turnovers led to 17 Western New England points.
 
The Golden Bears raced out to an 8-0 lead over the first 2:21 with the help of triples by O'Neill and Vujs, but the Hawks tied the score midway through the opening quarter. Neither team was able to build a large lead in the first half, as Western New England took a five-point edge into the locker room thanks to a pair of late treys by freshman Allison Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.).
 
Roger Williams trailed by nine on three different occasions in the third quarter but continued to fight back, eventually regaining the lead early in the fourth before the decisive Western New England run sealed the victory for the Golden Bears.