WENHAM, Mass. (February 19, 2025) –  The Western New England women's basketball team found themselves in a nine-point hole to begin the third quarter but used their high-powered offense in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Fighting Scots of Gordon College 25-5 to come away with an important Conference of New England victory on Wednesday night, defeating the 'Scots by a final score of 62-39.

Records:

• Western New England: 23-1, 16-1 CNE
• Gordon College: 8-16, 5-12 CNE

How it Happened:

Western New England won the game's opening tip and secured their first score when Shaina Cooney took a pass from Emma Novajasky and connected on a jumper, giving WNE an early lead. Gordon also managed to put two points on the board during their first possession as Wonitu Ciccarello drove to the basket for a layup, evening the score. Cooney had the first five points of the night for Western New England, which initiated a 5-2 run and sparked a quick 6-0 surge to put the blue and gold ahead. Lilly Hedge would get on the scoreboard at the 5:49 mark of the opening quarter, keeping WNE ahead early, 7-2. Paige Winter connected from a distance for her first three points of the night, pushing WNE into double digits with an 11-4 lead. Neither team shot particularly well to start the game as Western New England emerged with a nine-point lead in the first quarter, 13-4. The Golden Bears made just five field goals on 18 attempts, hitting only one three from Winter while going 0/6 otherwise. Gordon struggled in the opening ten minutes, shooting just 2/15 from the floor and recording just four points from Ciccarello. Both teams grabbed 12 rebounds to start the contest.

Back-to-back strong possessions from the Fighting Scots opened the second quarter and quickly got Gordon back into the game, outscoring WNE 15-0 in the first half of the quarter. Ami Rivera hit Gordon's early jumper while Naomi Nicholson dropped a three, bringing the Scots within four. Gordon continued to score while not allowing the Golden Bears to heat up from the floor as Ciccarello made her third bucket of the game, prompting a WNE timeout with a narrow lead of 13-11. Gordon kept scoring while the Golden Bears fell silent on offense. Ami Rivera and Wonitu Ciccarello remained hot from the field, with Ciccarello contributing nine points with 4:29 left in the quarter. Gordon led 20-13, tallying 16 unanswered points before the Golden Bears finally scored with a layup from Paige Winter with 3:46 to play. The Golden Bears increased their offensive efforts afterward, hitting a triple from Emma Kahn and forcing a Gordon timeout, now trailing by just two after relinquishing a nine-point halftime lead, 20-18. After that, the Golden Bears' offense stalled, scoring only five points in the quarter while watching the Fighting Scots net a total of 21 points to take a seven-point edge on Western New England at halftime, leading 25-18. Western New England mirrored Gordon's shooting performance from the first quarter, going 2/15 in their second quarter. The Fighting Scots heated up in the second, shooting 50% at 7/14. WNE was ice cold from three-point range to start the game, making only two of their 16 attempts. Five points marked the lowest total of the season that WNE has scored in one quarter, breaking the six points they scored in the second quarter of a January 15 game against Gordon.

Neither team scored in the first two minutes to open the second half, with WNE still trailing by seven. Gordon made it a night point game, their largest lead of the contest with 7:31 to play in the quarter as Leah McGarvey came up with a jumper for the Fighting Scots. WNE would then begin to find their offensive rhythm, going on an 8-0 run to get back within two. Emma Novajasky and Lilly Hedge would find their scoring touch while Perry Blasetti was on the board for the first time in the game. An and-one opportunity for Nora Young would spark the Golden Bears and tie the game at 29 with 4:26 to play while a jumper from Hedge would go down, giving Western New England their lead back. Both teams would connect on free throws despite WNE leaving many points at the free-throw line in the quarter. The Golden Bears outscored Gordon 19-9 in the frame and took a 37-34 lead into the final quarter of play. In the quarter, Western New England shot exceptionally better, shooting 7/15 overall, going 7/12 from inside the arc. WNE hit just five of their 13 free throw opportunities, which set them ahead by just those three points going into the final quarter. 

Nora Young had Western New England's first seven points of the quarter, which provided the spark the blue and gold would need to get over the hump early in the fourth. Young's layup with 7:21 to play gave Western New England a 44-35 lead, jumping out to a 7-1 run on Gordon to begin the frame. Colleen Furlong would hit a jumper on a pass from Young, coming up with her first two of the night, an important two points that held the lead at nine points for the Golden Bears. Shaina Cooney continued to be an offensive threat for WNE, picking up 14 points with 3:57 to play in the game and giving Western New England a double-digit lead, 50-39. Gordon's hot shooting in the second quarter would fizzle out in the second half, scoring just two field goals in the fourth with under three minutes to play. WNE would be all over the Fighting Scots in the fourth quarter, outscoring Gordon 25-5 and coming away with a 62-39 victory, surviving a first-half scare from the home team. 

Inside the Lines:

• Shaina Cooney led Western New England with 20 points on the night, her second straight weekday in which she scored 20 or more points. Cooney shot 8/15 from the floor, grabbing six rebounds in the win. 
  Nora Young provided a spark off the bench in 15 minutes played, scoring 12 points on 5/8 shooting, grabbing three rebounds, an assist, and a block for WNE. 
• Lilly Hedge was also in double-figures with ten points for the blue and gold on the night and also recorded her eighth double-double of the season, picking up ten boards. Hedge also added a career-high five blocks on the night.
• Western New England was 11/17 from the field in the third quarter to outscore Gordon 25-5 overall. WNE outrebounded the Fighting Scots 13-5 in the fourth to pick up the victory. 
• In total, the Golden Bears shot 39% from the floor, hitting three triples overall. WNE was 22/44 from inside the three-point arc. 
• Western New England blocked a season-high nine shots on the night, led by Hedge with five and Paige Winter who had two. 
• Gordon was led by Wonitu Ciccarello, who picked up 11 points, four rebounds, and a steal. Ami Rivera has seven points and nine rebounds for Gordon.
• This is the fourth straight win for WNE over Gordon. The Golden Bears improve to 27-5 in the season series all-time. 
• With the win, Western New England clinches the top seed in the Conference of New England playoff tournament. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE will host senior day on Saturday, February 22, at 1:00 PM from the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center when Endicott College comes to town for potential seeding implications in the upcoming CNE playoffs for the Gulls. WNE will be the top-seed in the tournament no matter the outcome.