BOSTON, Mass. (February 17, 2024) – The Western New England women's basketball team came away with a 66-26 win over the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon to secure the top seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament, which begins next week.
Records:
- Western New England: 20-5, 13-3 CCC
- Wentworth Institute: 4-19, 0-15 CCC
How it Happened:
The Golden Bears looked to win their 20
th game of the season on Saturday and do so for the first time since the 2019–2020 season. The Golden Bears got off to the start they were looking for, opening the game on an 8-0 run to quickly take the lead.
Emma Novajasky turned in the opening layup of the game for the Golden Bears, while
Lilly Hedge and
Emma Kahn would also contribute on the early run for the Golden Bears, quickly putting the visitors in front.
Shaina Cooney dropped a quick four points for the Golden Bears after Wentworth grabbed their first points of the game, coming on a three-ball.
Novajasky would convert on a point play with 2:43 to play in the first quarter, giving WNE their first double-digit lead of the game. A three-pointer from
Emma Kahn would wrap up the first quarter, with Western New England leading WIT 21-7. WNE would hit 8/13 shots in the first frame.
Offense would be hard to find in the second quarter after Western New England put up 21 points in the opening quarter.
Caitlyn Hunt would find the basket for the first time to open the quarter for the Golden Bears, though a span of over six minutes would go by without either team scoring in the game, with WNE leading 23-11 with 2:41 to play in the second.
Lilly Hedge would break the scoreless drought for both teams by connecting on a jumper. The Golden Bears came away with the final four points of the quarter, all coming by way of
Cooney, who scored ten first-half points. The Golden Bears converted just three field goals in the second half, though took a 31-17 lead at the break.
The Golden Bears found their offense again in the third quarter and continued to pour it on Wentworth.
Lilly Hedge opened the third quarter with a quick four points, which gave WNE a 40-19 lead, WNE's first 20-point lead of the game. The Leopards would only come away with five points in the third quarter, seeing Western New England outscore the hosts 19-5, including a 17-2 run to close out the third, capped by a triple from
Paige Winter, as WNE would take a 51-22 lead at the end of the third quarter. WNE's hot shooting would shoot 8/14 in the third while converting on their only three of the quarter.
The lead would hold for the Golden Bears in the fourth, as the CCC-leading Golden Bears would be too much for Wentworth to handle in the game.
Caitlyn Hunt would score four early points in the fourth quarter, while Western New England would get key contributions from
Caeli Fitzpatrick,
Sarah West, and
Hannah Blake, as WNE would lock up the top seed in the upcoming CCC Tournament with the 66-26 win over Wentworth.
Inside the Lines:
- Western New England held Wentworth to 22% shooting from the field, including 3/23 in the second half.
- Shaina Cooney led WNE with 16 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal in the win.
- The Golden Bears take down Wentworth for the 19th straight meeting and are 13-1 against WIT on the road.
- WNE had not lost to the Leopards since 2014.
- The Golden Bears take the top spot in the CCC Tournament for the first time since 2019–2020. WNE improved from a 10-8 mark in CCC play a season ago to 13-3 this season.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- By receiving the top spot in the CCC Tournament, Western New England women's basketball earns a BYE in the quarterfinal round. The Golden Bears will host a semifinal game on Thursday, February 22, with a time to be determined. WNE will play the winner of the 4/5 seeded game between Endicott College and Suffolk University.
