SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 3, 2024) – Western New England women's basketball seniors Caeli Fitzpatrick and Colleen Furling were honored on Saturday afternoon as part of the 2023-2024 senior day for the Golden Bears, who came away with a 64-41 win on Saturday afternoon over the visiting Colonels of Curry College. Shaina Cooney led the way for the Golden Bears, scoring 16 points, while Lilly Hedge finished with ten points for the blue and gold.

Records:

• Western New England: 16-5, 10-3 CCC
• Curry College: 7-14, 2-11 CCC

How it Happened:

The visiting Colonels took a lead out of the first quarter after outscoring the Golden Bears 12-11. Kylie McCarthy splashed a three for Curry on their second offensive possession of the game to get the team in purple ahead. Lilly Hedge would get Western New England on the board just under three minutes into the game, scooping and scoring a layup in the paint. Shaina Cooney grabbed WNE's first lead of the game, matching Hedge's layup, giving WNE a 4-3 advantage. It would not be long before the three-point scoring of the Colonels would cook up back-to-back three's on back-to-back possessions, giving Curry a 9-6 lead with 4:28 to play. Lilly Hedge's free throws would give the Golden Bears a 10-9 lead, though another three-ball from Emerson Cherry would lift Curry to a three-point advantage, and the visitors would close out the quarter with a 12-11 lead.

Paige Winter opened the second quarter with a triple of her own, the first three ball of the afternoon for the Golden Bears. Lauren Dunn sank a layup and a foul for Curry shortly after, giving Curry the lead back. Emma Novajasky's jumper would give WNE the lead back while the Golden Bears began to find an offensive rhythm with Shaina Cooney grabbing two hoops in a row. A 10-0 run for the Golden Bears would see Emma Kahn and Tara Laugeni finish off the offensive tear for WNE, as Western New England took a 24-15 lead. Curry would get back within three after two deep triples, for the road team would fall. WNE would get the final four points of the quarter after Emma Kahn and Tara Laugeni scored for the Golden Bears to end the half up seven, 28-21. Curry made just one two-point shot in the first half, going 7/13 from three.

The Golden Bears opened the third quarter on a quick 4-0 scoring run to get their first double-digit lead of the game when Emma Kahn dropped a layup inside the paint, giving WNE a 31-21 lead. Curry would take WNE's lead down to six after Lauren Dunn converted on four straight free throws, though the Golden Bears would answer, scoring six straight of their own to get their lead back to 12. Lilly Hedge and Emma Novajasky extended Western New England's lead to close the third quarter, as the Golden Bears went ahead 46-29, outscoring Curry 17-8 in the third ten minutes of play.

Western New England continued to show why they are one of the top threats in the CCC, pouring it on Curry in the fourth quarter. Emma Kahn dropped a three to get the scoring started, while Colleen Furling celebrated her senior day by driving to the basket and connecting on a fast break jumper to give WNE a 50-29 lead, their first 20-point lead of the night. Curry would be unable to sustain the attack for Western New England as Shaina Cooney would dial up five more points for the Golden Bears, while Western New England would close out the game with a Caitlyn Hunt layup and five points from Paige Winter as the Golden Bears took down Curry by a final score of 64-41, knocking down Curry for the tenth straight meeting.

Inside the Lines:

• Depsite shooting under 40% from the field, Western New England would use a big fourth quarter to pull away from the Colonels, shooting 8/16 from the floor, including 2/3 from deep.
• Western New England went 13/17 from the free throw line, well above average, percentage-wise.
• Shaina Cooney and Lilly Hedge both finished with double digits in scoring, while Emma Kahn, Emma Novajasky, and Paige Winter all contributed heavily for the Golden Bears.
• Curry sank eight three-point shots in the game and made just 5/35 field goals from inside three-point land.
• Curry's Lauren Dunn sank a team-high 12 points in the loss.
• WNE outrebounded Curry 51-31 while recording five blocks in the win.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will continue CCC on Tuesday, February 6, at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center when Gordon College visits Springfield at 5:30 p.m.