SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 17, 2023) The Western New England women's basketball team scored 53 opening half points on route to a dominating opening night victory of the Hampton Inn Holiday Tip Off Tournament Classic, defeating the Giants of Keystone College by a final score of 90-49.

Records:

• Western New England: 3-1
• Keystone College: 1-1

How it Happened:

Abby Garaban opened the scoring for Western New England on their second possession of the game as the Golden Bears got off to a quick start. The Giants of Keystone College would respond with a three-point shot from Riley Berry to give Keystone their first lead, which ended up being their only lead of the game. WNE would see Lilly Hedge drive to the rim, grab a bucket, and a foul to complete the three-point play as the Golden Bears would take a 9-5 lead just 2:50 into the contest. Western New England would finish the first quarter on a 16-4 run, which included hoops from Shaina Cooney, Colleen Furlong, Emma Kahn, Lindsey Carey, and Emma Novajasky, as the Golden Bears spread the wealth in the opening ten minutes.

Keystone would see Western New England stay ahead by double digits for the entire second quarter, growing their lead to as many as 30 points with 2:07 to play. Shaina Cooney scored four of the opening six points for WNE in the second quarter, while Tara Laugeni got on the board with a layup as Western New England took a 40-21 lead with 5:33 to play. WNE would continue to score, as Colleen Furling, Lilly Hedge, and Caitlyn Hunt would all get to the rim and provide points for WNE. Keystone would score just eight points in the second quarter, while Western New England would lead by as many as 30 when Lilly Hedge dropped points as the Golden Bears took a 53-24 lead into the break.

Another dominating quarter would leave Western New England well ahead of the Giants, as Keystone would only be able to muster six points in the third quarter as the Golden Bears lead would jump to 44 to end the third. Western New England scored the first eight points in the third, as Emma Novajasky would go on an 8-0 run by herself to lift Western New England to a 59-24 lead with 7:31 to play. Tara Laugeni, Colleen Furlong and Lindsey Carey would get on the board again to continue to burn Keystone. Paige Winter would grab her first points of the season, knocking down a jumper and a three-ball, WNE's only three-pointer of the night, as WNE took a 74-30 lead after three quarters.

With the game well in hand, the Golden Bears would see the Giants turn up their offensive prowess in the final stanza, scoring a team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter. Only four Giants would record buckets in the game, as Keystone shot 21-57 from the field. Riley Berry led Keystone with 19 points on the night, while Anyah Ortiz and Malaysia Bryant recorded 13 points apiece. First-year Sarah West would make her WNE debut and score her first collegiate points to get Western New England on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Caeli Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Jordan, and Hannah Blake would also grab their first points of the season as Western New England would come around to defeat Keystone College by a final score of 90-49, winning their opening game of the Hampton Inn Holiday Classic tournament.

Inside the Box:

• Shaina Cooney led Western New England with 18 points on the night while taking in three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
• Emma Novakjasky was perfect from the field, shooting 7/7 and grabbing 14 points.
• Caeli Fitzpatrick, Hannah Blake, Sarah West, and Charlotte Jordan all recoded their first points of the season.
• Colleen Furlong scored six points while making five assists to help Western New England total 27 total assists on the night.
• WNE shot over 50% from the field while recording just one three-pointer.
• The Golden Bears picked up 49 bench points in the win while scoring 64 points in the paint.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will be back in action on Saturday, November 18 at 2:00 PM for the Hampton Inn Holiday Classic championship game, taking on Vassar College.