SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 4, 2024) – The Western New England women's basketball team held the visiting Hawks of the University of Hartford to just ten points in the first half and 18 through three quarters of play, while a big third quarter would spark a 59-32 victory on Wednesday night from the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Records:

• Western New England: 7-0, 2-0 CNE
• University of Hartford: 1-5, 0-1 CNE

How it Happened:

The opening hoop of the game would come from the Hawks of the University of Hartford when Lauren Sabia would drive to the lane to pick up a quick two. That would be the lone lead of the game for the Hawks, as the visitors would struggle all night long scoring the basketball while coming away with plenty of turnovers in the game. Shaina Cooney responded with a layup for Western New England to quickly even the score. The Golden Bears would get a layup from Emma Novajasky, who would also be fouled on the play and convert the free throw to give WNE the lead, 5-2. Hartford's next bucket of the first quarter would come with 6:13 to play when Emma O'Hare would hit a jumper to get the Hawks back within one. From there, WNE would take over, getting a three-point play from Sophie Hedge, who made the start for the Golden Bears in the game while Caitlyn Hunt took WNE to an 11-4 lead after splashing a triple on an assist from Erin Reen with just under three minutes remaining. The Golden Bears would get the final four points of the quarter after Nora Young converted a foul and free throw while Perry Blasetti picked up her first point of the night with 52 seconds to play, which gave the Golden Bears an early nine-point lead at the end of one, 15-9. Neither team would shoot tremendously well from the floor in the opening quarter, as Hartford was successful just three times out of 12 from the floor, going 0/5 from distance, while Western New England was 5/13 overall and 1/3 from deep.

Just 11 points would be seen combined between the two teams in the second quarter, with the Golden Bears registering seven of those, their lowest total of any quarter this season. Ava Naszimento would have Hartford's first bucket of the second while Kristen Trembley cut WNE's lead to five with 7:34 to play, though that would be the last basket of the half for Hartford, who would see the Golden Bears grow their lead over the final seven minutes of the half. Hartford turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and three more in the second quarter while the Golden Bears would take advantage of points off turnovers to grab a double-digit lead after one half. Shaina Cooney, Sarah West, and Lilly Hedge would be on the board for the Golden Bears, who would lead 22-10 after 20 minutes of play. Hartford was 2/15 from the floor in the second quarter, going another 0/5 from three. WNE hit just three field goals of their own in the second quarter on 14 shots.

Western New England dropped more points in the third quarter in just 1:43 of game time than they did in all of the second quarter, getting three triples in a row, all three coming from the Hedge duo, as Sophie Hedge dropped two while Lilly Hedge would pick up one of her own. The Golden Bears would take a 17-point lead, 31-14. Lilly Hedge would continue her success on the hardwood in the third, dropping a total of eight points, which quickly grew WNE's lead to 34-14. Western New England would find plenty of success in the third quarter as a team, scoring 24 points on 9/12 shooting while hitting 3/4 three-point shots in the quarter. Buckets by Caitlyn Hunt, Perry Blasetti, Nora Young, and Paige Winter in the final minutes of play in the third would bring the Golden Bears' lead to 28, 46-18 after three.

With the game well in hand, WNE would continue to shoot the ball well in the fourth quarter and would improve to 2-0 in conference play this season. WNE hit half their shots in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points overall. Hannah Blake would get Western New England's lead as high as 28 with 3:58 to play in the game, while Abby Marasco would pick up a quick three points at the end of the game, one coming on an assist from Devlyn McDonald, who made her collegiate debut on Wednesday. The Golden Bears would take care of Hartford by a final score of 59-32.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears shot 75% from the field in the third quarter, which sparked a 24-point outburst to come away with the win.
• Lilly Hedge led all scorers with ten points while picking up seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.
• The Golden Bears out-rebounded Hartford 40-35. Hartford (18-17) had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds in the game.
• The two teams combined for 44 turnovers in the game.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will be on the road for their final two games of the 2024 portion of their schedule, playing in back-to-back days, starting on Friday, December 6, at 8:00 PM, taking on Worcester State University at Williams College. WNE returns to conference play with a 12:00 PM start at Wentworth on Saturday.