Women's Basketball 12/4/2025 6:32:00 PM

Golden Bears Dominate Blazers Behind Double Figures From Winter, Hedge & Barnes

Box Score CHICOPEE, Mass. (December 4, 2025) – The Western New England women's basketball team won their second game in 24 hours on Thursday night, crushing the Blazers of Elms College by a final score of 95-54, their largest point total of the season. Paige Winter (18), Sophie Hedge (15), and Lottia Barnes (12) were all in double figures for the Golden Bears.

Records:

Western New England: 6-3
Elms College: 2-6

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

Paige Winter dropped in a triple to begin play while Hannah Blake quickly got on the board with a layup that gave the blue and gold a 5-0 lead. The Golden Bears continued scoring in the opening quarter, seeing last night's top performer, Sophie Hedge, get on the scoreboard while Erin Reen was also connecting on the offensive end, giving the Golden Bears a 9-2 lead just 2:25 into the quarter.
Following a timeout from the Blazers, Hedge came out with a triple and scored the next six Western New England points, picking up right where she left off. The Blazers saw Piper Graham hit from the outside, and Malinna Figueroa responded with a three of her own that got the Blazers back within seven, 17-10, with half the quarter remaining.
WNE had ten points in the final four minutes of the quarter as Olivia Chrzan and Lottia Barnes helped the blue and gold lead by 13 at the end of the opening quarter, taking a 30-17 advantage, scoring their most points in a single quarter this season. WNE shot 11/17 from the field and 3/6 from the outside in the quarter overall. Elms hit seven field goals, including three triples, staying within striking distance after the opening frame.

Second Quarter:

More offense came from Western New England in the quarter with Katie Regan getting to the lane and scoring a bucket on a fast break chance on an assist from Devlyn McDonald, giving the Golden Bears their first points of the quarter. Lottia Barnes hit from the outside before the Blazers responded with the next six in the frame to get back within ten. Barnes then rattled home another shot from the outside while Erin Reen dished out her fifth assist of the night, putting WNE ahead 38-25 three minutes into the quarter.
At the midway point of the frame, the Golden Bears led by 16, following a steal and layup from Paige Winter, giving Western New England a 43-27 lead. Winter had 13 points at the break, hitting a pair of triples from deep in the final 3:30 of the quarter, helping the Golden Bears grow their lead to its largest of the night thus far.
WNE ended the quarter on an 8-0 run, seeing Winter's triple, a layup from Lottia Barnes, and a shot from the outside go down for Sarah West, giving Western New England a commanding 56-29 lead at half. WNE shot an unconscious 5/7 from the outside and 9/15 overall in the quarter, while Elms missed all six three-point attempts and shot just 5/17. Winter led all scorers with 13 points at halftime.

Third Quarter:

The Western New England lead continued growing on Elms as Perry Blasetti led off the quarter with a bucket, while Sophie Hedge had the next five points for the Golden Bears, who saw the visitors take their first 30-point lead over Elms with 7:43 remaining in the quarter. WNE held onto its big lead with half a quarter remaining.
Winter continued her excellent outside shooting, cashing in on a three with 3:56 left in the quarter to up her total to 18 points on the night, which gave the Golden Bears a 32-point lead, 70-38. Winter's triple started another run for the Golden Bears of eight straight, taking a 75-38 lead with 2:38 remaining as Sarah West and Erin Reen were on the scoreboard to help give Western New England their largest lead of the game.
The Blue and Gold continued its excellent shooting in the third quarter, hitting eight field goals, including 3/4 from the outside, taking a 34-point lead heading into the final frame.

Fourth Quarter:

A low-scoring fourth quarter, compared to the first three, saw Western New England put up just four points across the first four minutes of the frame as Olivia Chrzan and Sarah West had buckets for the Golden Bears. The Blazers had just two points through the midway point of the half while Gianna Strange laid home a layup that saw Western New England take an 83-46 lead with 5:36 remaining in the game.
Down the stretch, Western New England saw Madison Gibbs, Lizzie Hansen, Janessa Yaconiello, and Alexa Rabidoux all contribute on the offensive and defensive ends, helping the Golden Bears come up with a commanding 94-54 win.
WNE outscored Elms 17-9 in the final quarter, shooting 5/12 overall from the field.

Inside the Lines:

A trio of Golden Bears were in double figures on Thursday, including Paige Winter, who scored a season-high 18 points on 7/10 shooting, going 4/6 from the outside. Winter also had a pair of rebounds, a block, and a steal in the win.
Sophie Hedge added 15 points after her career-high night last night over the University of Hartford, shooting 5/6 from the field and 3/3 from deep. Hedge also had three rebounds and an assist in the win.
Lottia Barnes produced 12 points on 5/7 shooting, going 2/4 from the outside.
In total, 14 Golden Bears picked up at least a point in the game.
Western New England shot an impressive 57% from the field, hitting a season-high 12 triples from the outside.

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