SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 19, 2025) – The Western New England women's basketball team was overcome by Johnson & Wales University sophomore Grace Jaffray, who dropped 38 points on 14/22 shooting, hitting four triples, while WNE wasn't able to control the quick-moving offense of the Wildcats, who took down the Golden Bears by a final score of 72-64. 

Records:

• Western New England: 2-2, 0-1 CNE
• Johnson & Wales: 3-1, 1-0 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• JWU's reigning Rookie of the Year had the opening bucket of the game and did not stop for the remainder of the night, pouring it on the Golden Bears. Despite the early hoop, Perry Blasetti had the opening five points of the night and tied the score at five just a minute and a half into the opening quarter. Hannah Blake then gave WNE its first lead of the night when Erin Reen found the senior for a jumper just outside the paint, giving the Golden Bears a 7-5 lead. 
• Western New England's lead grew to as many as eight as Blake and Devlyn McDonald had the next eight points of the frame to take an eight-point lead with 4:03 to play in the frame. 
• Johnson & Wales had the final ten points of the quarter, turning around an eight-point deficit into a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, with Jaffray picking up six points in the opening frame. 

Second Quarter:

• Olivia Chrzan had the opening bucket for WNE in the quarter, followed by back-to-back hoops from Paige Winter, giving the Golden Bears a 19-17 lead. JWU quickly answered with a triple from Isabella Suero. Grace Jaffray had the next eight points for Johnson & Wales while the Wildcats held Western New England scoreless for over three minutes, taking a ten-point lead, 30-20. 
• The Golden Bears could not stop Jaffray, who scored 15 points in the second quarter, pushing JWU to a ten-point lead at the half.

Third Quarter:

• JWU had the opening three points of the quarter, but the Golden Bears fought back, seeing Hannah Blake, Sophie Hedge, and Lottia Barnes combined for the next eight points, getting the Golden Bears right back into the game, trailing 40-35 with 6:23 remaining in the third quarter. 
• The Wildcats then went on another run, this time scoring eight points in a row, led by Jaffray and Brianne Foley, who gave JWU a 14-point lead, 51-37, with 3:11 remaining. 
• Lottia Barnes had the final eight points for Western New England in the quarter, but the Wildcats had an answer for every bucket as Western New England could only cut JWU's lead down to 11 at the end of the third quarter, being down 56-45. 

Fourth Quarter:

• Neither team picked up a point until Jaffray started her scoring in the fourth quarter with 6:16 remaining, putting JWU ahead 58-45. Blake and Hedge were on the board in the fourth for Western New England, but JWU, Jaffray, and Foley were too much to overcome on the defensive end of the floor. 
• Olivia Chrzan cut JWU's lead down to nine with 1:32 remaining, but a Brianne Foley triple put the lead back to double-digits. Late triples from Hedge would not be enough as the dominant Jaffray led JWU past Western New England, 72-64. 

Inside the Lines:

• 58 of JWU's 72 points on the night came from sophomores Grace Jaffray and Brianne Foley. Jaffray scored 38 points, shooting 14/22 from the field and 4/9 from downtown. Foley picked up 20 points on 7/20 shooting, including 4/9 from the outside.
• Sophie Hedge led Western New England with 15 points and nine rebounds, also recording three assists and a block. 
• Lottia Barnes was in double figures with 14 points, shooting 5/12 from the field. 
• Hannah Blake produced a career-high 13 points, shooting 6/12 from the floor, recording four rebounds and a pair of blocks in the game. 
• WNE shot 40% from the field while JWU was a tick under 40% overall. The Wildcats nailed nine threes and 13 free throws for the night. 
• This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2007. It is the first loss for WNE on home court in program history against the Wildcats. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears host their annual Hampton Inn Holiday Classic this coming weekend, welcoming Salve Regina University. Connecticut College and St. Lawrence University to Springfield for a two-day event, starting with WNE and Salve Regina's opening round match on Friday, November 21, at 6:00 PM.