SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 8, 2023) – The Western New England women's basketball team saw the visiting Pride from Springfield College score double digits in all four quarters in Wednesday's season opener to down the Golden Bears 74-56.
Records:
- Western New England: 0-1
- Springfield College: 1-0
How it Happened:
Springfield College scored the first six points of the game before
Caitlyn Hunt picked up the first two points of the season for the Golden Bears on an assist from
Lilly Hedge. Springfield College would take a seven-point lead with 4:58 remaining in the first quarter when Jaelen Daubon scored a layup, though Western New England would fight back.
Tara Laugeni would score her first as a Golden Beat, connecting on a layup in the paint. The WNE defense would hold the Pride to just four points in the final five minutes of the opening quarter, while
Sophie Hedge and
Abby Garaban would record the final four points of the quarter as SC took a 15-13 lead after the first quarter.
The Pride would get out in front by seven points within two minutes of the second quarter and would not look back from there. The Pride would take their first double-digit lead of the game when Angela Czeremcha connected on a layup with 4:15 to play in the second frame, giving Springfield a 30-20 lead. The Pride would end the second quarter on a 10-0 run, not allowing any WNE points for over five minutes to end the half, as Springfield would take a 34-20 lead after the first two quarters of play.
Western New England would cut down Springfield's lead minimally in the third quarter, as Springfield's 14-point first-half lead would only go down to 13 points twice when
Abby Garaban and
Lilly Hedge each made baskets for the Golden Bears. Springfield's lead would extend to 22 points with 4:43 to play when Angela Czeremcha would grab another layup for the Pride to take a 50-28 lead. A spurt of offense for the Golden Bears would see
Shaina Cooney grab a layup down low, and
Sophie Hedge would impress in her debut with WN as Springfield College would take a 58-37 lead after three quarters.
Western New England would outscore the Pride in the fourth quarter, though it would not be enough as Springfield's big lead would be too much to overcome. Eight of
Sophie Hedge's 13 points on the night would come in the fourth quarter, while the Golden Bears would fall in the season opener by a final score of 74-56.
Inside the Lines:
- First-year Sophie Hedge led Western New England in scoring this season, shooting 4-7 from the field, including 2-5 from distance. Abby Garaban, Lilly Hedge, and Caitlyn Hunt all recorded eight points each for the Golden Bears.
- Shaina Cooney led WNE with seven rebounds in the game, contributing five points.
- Western New England shot 6/26 from the field in the opening half. WNE shot 8-13 in the fourth quarter, coming away with 19 points.
- Angela Czeremcha led Springfield with 19 points and eight rebounds. Rachel Vinton also recorded 19 points for the Pride in the win.
- Springfield College has defeated WNE for the fourth straight time in the long history between the two programs.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- Western New England heads to the Wheaton College (Mass.) invitational on Friday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m. to take on Rivier University.
