Box Score PROVIDENCE, R.I. (November 13, 2024) – The Western New England women's basketball team stayed close all night with the Anchorwomen of Rhode Island College before going on a late fourth-quarter run to take an 11-point lead and ultimately secure a seven-point win over the 20th-ranked team in NCAA Division III. With the victory, they improved to 2-0 on the season, picking up two road victories.
Records:
- Western New England: 2-0
- No. 20 Rhode Island College: 0-1
How it Happened:
The Golden Bears were on the board first in the opening minute of the game after an offensive rebound by
Emma Novajasky was put back into the cup, giving Western New England the early lead.
Lilly Hedge picked up her first two points of the night with a pull-up jumper to give WNE a 4-0 lead. RIC came back to tie the game at four, as the Anchorwomen's two leading returners got on the board for the first time this season in their first game of the year. The Golden Bears responded with four more points of their own, as
Emma Kahn, WNE's leading scorer from their opening night road win at Springfield College, scored four straight. The first three-point shot of the game fell from there, with Rhode Island College's Naima Bleou hitting from deep. The Anchorwomen took their first lead of the season at 10-8 when Megan Schuermann connected from deep. Rhode Island College extended the lead to four points with two minutes left in the opening quarter, as Madison Medbury picked up a bucket plus a free throw to take a 14-10 lead. Western New England kept close and regained the lead after the Hedge sisters, Sophie and Lilly, helped the Golden Bears pull ahead 15-14 at the end of the quarter, closing out the stanza with a 5-0 run. Novajasky picked up a steal on the final possession of the quarter to keep RIC from scoring. Both
Lilly Hedge and Kahn collected four points for Western New England in the opening frame, with Lilly also picking up two steals and a rebound in six minutes of action.
Nora Young scored Western New England's first point of the second half, continuing their run from the first quarter with a free throw. The WNE 6-0 run ended after the Anchorwomen hit a jumper, connecting on their second shot of the quarter.
Lilly Hedge continued to take over for Western New England, scooping in a layup on a pass from
Colleen Furlong and drawing a foul, converting the three-point play to give the Golden Bears the 23-20 lead. The Golden Bears regained the lead at 25-23 after the Anchorwomen made their third three-pointer of the game, though
Lilly Hedge continued to score for the blue and gold. Down the stretch, it was the Anchorwomen who took the lead at 27-25 before
Emma Kahn picked up a free throw and
Nora Young hit a buzzer-beating jumper on an assist from
Paige Winter to give the Golden Bears a 28-27 lead. At halftime, the Golden Bears shot 40% from the field, making all 12 field goals from inside the three-point arc. RIC went 9/25 from the floor in the opening half, hitting three of nine three-point attempts.
Lilly Hedge led Western New England in the first half with nine points, three steals, three rebounds, and an assist. Both
Emma Kahn and
Nora Young picked up five points each for WNE in the opening 20 minutes. Madison Medbury scored ten of RIC's 27 points in the first half, going 4/8 from the floor while grabbing three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Five of the first seven points in the opening 1:15 of the second half belonged to the Anchorwomen, with Megan Schuermann connecting on a three to open the quarter.
Shaina Cooney picked up her first points of the second half to even the score at 30. RIC took a three-point lead with 5:39 to play in the third quarter when Angelina Nardolillo scored her ninth point of the night on a layup. The run from Rhode Island College didn't faze the Golden Bears, as
Emma Novajasky scored with 4:30 remaining to bring the Golden Bears back within one, 36-35. The Golden Bears roared back to regain the lead in the late stages of the third quarter, going on a 5-0 run to end the quarter.
Perry Blasetti,
Sophie Hedge, and Novajasky recorded buckets that gave WNE a 42-38 third-quarter lead. The Golden Bears scored 14 points in the third quarter, connecting on five field goals and hitting four free throws. RIC went 4/14 from the field in the third, making just one of their six three-point attempts. Both Novajasky and
Lilly Hedge led Western New England with ten points each after three quarters of play.
Paige Winter stepped up for the Golden Bears in a big way to open the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Winter scored on back-to-back possessions, including Western New England's first triple of the game on an assist from
Shaina Cooney, giving WNE a 47-40 lead, their largest lead of the game. The Golden Bears weren't done there, as
Lilly Hedge continued to score, grabbing her own offensive rebound and scoring to extend WNE's lead to nine, forcing a timeout from Rhode Island College. Western New England women's basketball continued to score as Hedge took over in the fourth quarter, helping the Golden Bears reach a double-digit lead, 52-42, with 6:12 to play. RIC pushed for a comeback, hitting two free throws, while Medbury splashed another three, reducing Western New England's 11-point lead to a six-point lead, 55-49, with 4:28 to play. RIC continued their run when Maggie McKitchen knocked down her first three points of the night, dropping Western New England's lead to just three.
Emma Kahn scored on the next possession to push the lead back up to five, scoring her ninth point of the night. Hedge grabbed a rebound on a missed Anchorwomen shot on the next possession—her 10th of the night, securing a double-double in the contest. Down the stretch, both teams struggled to score, with Hedge going one for two at the free-throw line, while RIC's Nardolillo followed suit with 1:03 to play, allowing the Golden Bears to lead 58-53.
Emma Novajasky hit two free throws with 33 seconds left to increase WNE's lead to seven. The Golden Bears held off the 20th-ranked team in NCAA Division III, putting up 20 points in the fourth quarter to come away with a 62-55 road victory.
Inside the Lines:
- Lilly Hedge recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Bears to lead the way. The WNE senior also picked up three steals, an assist, and a block in the victory.
- Emma Novajasky hit four of seven field goals on the night, totaling 12 points while grabbing nine boards and three steals.
- Emma Kahn and Sophie Hedge made a big fourth-quarter impact for the Golden Bears, who came alive with two three-point shots, shooting 6/14 from the field and hitting a clutch 6/7 free throws in the final frame to secure the victory.
- Western New England handed Rhode Island College a loss on their opening night. The Anchorwomen were 29-1 last season, with their only loss of the season coming in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after winning their first 29 games of the year.
- This is the first win in program history for Western New England over Rhode Island College.
- WNE has now picked up two wins on the season, with a victory over Springfield College, who are receiving votes in the top 25 of the Division III poll, and Rhode Island College, who are ranked 20th overall in the Division III poll. Both wins for the Golden Bears came on the road.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- Western New England will remain on the road as their schedule takes them to Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, November 19, for a 5:30 PM tip-off.
