WENHAM, Mass. (January 17, 2024) – The Western New England women's basketball team held the lead for the entirety of the contest in Wednesday's 54-44 win over Gordon College, where Western New England held the Fighting Scots to 11 first half points and two second quarter points on their way to a ten-point victory.

Records:

• Western New England: 12-4, 6-2 CCC
• Gordon College: 3-13, 2-6 CCC

How it Happened:

Lilly Hedge knocked down the first layup for Western New England in the first quarter to get the blue and gold rolling on Wednesday evening. Gordon would come back with a bucket of their own to even the score at two, though that would be the closest the Fighting Scots would ever get in the game. Shaina Cooney would sink four straight points and combine with Hedge for the first 12 points of the game for the Golden Bears as Western New England stormed out to a 12-5 lead. Gordon would drop four straight points of their own before the Golden Bears ended the quarter on a 6-0 run when Emma Novajasky, Emma Kahn, and Caitlyn Hunt scored hoops, giving WNE an 18-9 lead after one quarter of play. WNE sank eight field goals on 18 shots in the first quarter, while Gordon shot 25% from the field.

Ten points would combine between the two teams in the second quarter, with Western New England picking up eight of those ten points. Tara Laugeni would get on the board for the first time in the game with a layup to get the scoring started in the second quarter, which also gave WNE their first double-digit lead of the game Laugeni and Caitlyn Hunt would score two field goals each in the quarter, the only two for Western New England to score, while Naomi Nicholson picked up the lone layup for Gordon as the Western New England defense would shut down the offense of the Fighting Scots, holding the hosts to just 11 first-half points with WNE taking a 26-11 lead at the break.

Gordon would heat up in a big way on the offensive end in the third quarter, scoring the first nine points of the quarter to quickly erase Western New England's 15-point lead and turn the deficit to just six points before WNE's Emma Novajasky cashed in with 6:35 to play in the third quarter. Gordon's Nicholson would splash a three following the WNE bucket to sink Western New England's lead to five points, their lowest lead since the first quarter. The Golden Bears would quickly take back their double-digit lead, however, when a 6-0 run gave WNE a 34-23 lead. Tara Laugeni made the last bucket of the quarter, as WNE would take a 36-28 lead with ten minutes to play. Gordon outscored the Golden Bears 17-10 in the quarter.

Gordon would get within six points twice in the early stages of the fourth quarter until Western New England's Shaina Cooney and Lilly Hedge were able to close out the Fighting Scots on offense. The Golden Bears would shoot 8/14 in the fourth quarter, with Hedge coming away with four points. Tara Laugeni also helped the Golden Bears in the fourth with four points, a rebound, and an assist to help close out the Fighting Scots, who shot just 5/14 in the fourth. The Golden Bears would take a 54-44 victory on the road to improve to 12-4 on the season and 6-2 in conference play.

Inside the Box:

• The Golden Bears never trailed in the game and were only tied one other time other than at the start of the game (2-2).
• Shaina Cooney led WNE with 11 points in the game on 5/10 shooting while grabbing five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
• Tara Laugeni scored in double figures for the fourth game in a row for Western New England and the seventh game this season. WNE is 5-2 when Laugeni scores at least ten points this season.
• The blue and gold struggled from distance, going 0/11 from deep, while Gordon made just three of their 26 three-point shots in the game.
• As a team, WNE shot 40% from the field, while Gordon could only knock down 25% of their shots.
• WNE avenges their defeat from a season ago and beats Gordon for the first time since 2021, erasing a five-game losing streak.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE stays on the road and takes on the University of New England on Saturday, January 20 at 1:00 PM in an important CCC contest.