BIDDEFORD, Maine (February 27, 2016) - The No. 16 nationally ranked and top-seeded University of New England women's basketball team pulled away from second-seeded Western New England University late in the second half, capturing the 2016 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship with a 56-41 victory this afternoon at Harold Alfond Forum.

Western New England, which limited the Nor'easters to just five points in the second quarter and led by three (23-20) at halftime, extended the margin to five early in the third period. UNE responded with a 10-0 run and didn't trail the rest of the way, however, utilizing a 5-for-10 effort from beyond the arc in the second half to help seal the victory.

With the win, the Nor'easters (25-3) secure the CCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins next Friday. Western New England (18-10) awaits word on a potential ECAC Tournament bid.
 
Sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) led the Golden Bears with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, connecting on 6-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-4 from three point distance. Senior forward and CCC Player of the Year Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) just missed notching her tenth double-double of the season, finishing with eight points, a game-high 11 boards and three steals, while junior Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) added five points and five rebounds.

Senior guard Alanna Vose (Cushing, Maine) keyed the second half surge for the Nor'easters, scoring 17 of her 18 points over the final 20 minutes of action on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Vose also recorded five rebounds and three steals as UNE claimed its fourth consecutive conference title. Senior guard Lauren Hayden (Chantilly, Va.) was the only other Nor'easter in double figures, scoring 15 points to go with six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Alicia Brown (Greenland, N.H.) led the team in rebounding with nine boards, while senior Meghan Gribbin (Windham, Maine) chipped in with seven points, six assists and five rebounds.
 
Western New England shot 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the field, making 10-of-27 (37%) attempts in the first half and just 7-of-25 (28%) over the final 20 minutes. The Golden Bears were limited to 21.4 percent (3-of-14) shooting from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 18 times, their most since February 10.
 
Trailing 13-7 following a three-pointer by Gribbin with 2:29 left in the first quarter, Western New England was able to close the gap to two (15-13) by the end of the period thanks to six consecutive points from O'Neill.  The Golden Bears pulled back ahead (21-19) on a jumper by freshman Allison Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) late in the low-scoring second quarter, and carried a 23-20 edge into the locker room.
 
After a jumper by Vujs just over two minutes into the third quarter gave Western New England its largest lead (25-20), the Nor'easters seized control of the contest. Brown got it started by converting a traditional three-point play at the 7:48 mark, before knocking down a jumper to tie the game on UNE's next possession. A Vose layup with 3:18 on the clock capped the 10-0 run as the Nor'easters claimed a 30-25 advantage. The home team eventually went up by eight (35-27) but Western New England fought back, cutting the deficit to four (38-34) by the end of the quarter with the help of an O'Neill triple.
 
Vose knocked down consecutive treys to open the fourth, however, restoring the Nor'easters' ten-point (44-34) lead. After a jumper by Vujs with 9:01 remaining kept the Golden Bears within striking distance, UNE posted a 7-0 run, capped by a Sadie DiPierro (South Portland, Maine) three-pointer, to open up a 15-point cushion (51-36) and effectively seal the victory.