DUDLEY, Mass. (January 14, 2026) – The Western New England women's basketball team held the hosting Bison of Nichols College to just 19% shooting from the field in Wednesday night's Conference of New England victory on the road, earning their ninth straight win over Nichols all-time, beating the Bison 61-34. 
Records:

• Western New England: 10-4, 4-2 CNE
• Nichols College: 9-7, 2-5 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• The Golden Bears brought their "A" game to the defensive side of the ball on Wednesday night, holding Nichols to poor shooting in the opening quarter. The two teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, but it was Western New England that picked up the first ten points of the quarter to take the lead on the Bison. Hannah Blake, Paige Winter, Sophie Hedge, and Devlyn McDonald combined for the ten Western New England points in the first seven minutes and change of the frame. 
• Nichols finally got their first two over seven minutes into the quarter when Tianna Fernandez scored for the Bison. Adriana Romano had the next hoop for Nichols, but the Western New England defense would stymie Nichols in the opening quarter, holding Nichols to just four points. Lottia Barnes and Hedge added the final three points in the frame for the Golden Bears, who came out of the opening frame with a 13-4 lead. 
• Both teams struggled shooting as Nichols went 2/20 from the field while Western New England picked up six field goals on 16 shot attempts. Neither team cashed in from the outside, combining to go 0/13 from distance. 

Second Quarter:

• Nichols found some offense to begin play in the second quarter, but both teams still continued to struggle from the floor. Hannah Blake had WNE's first two points of the quarter. The Bison poured in an early six points to get back within seven with 5:33 remaining in the half. 
• Sophie Hedge distanced Western New England from Nichols, back to a double-digit lead with 4:49 remaining, cashing in on three free throws. Perry Blasetti picked up her first layup of the night, giving the Golden Bears a 22-12 lead. Blake was the first Golden Bear in double figures with ten points, grabbing a layup at the rim on an assist from Erin Reen, forcing a timeout from the Bison with 3:05 to play in the opening half. 
• Back-to-back triples, the first of the night for either team, went to Western New England as Paige Winter and Perry Blasetti dialed up shots from distance that separated Western New England from Nichols to end the half as the Golden Bears took a 30-12 lead at the end of 20 minutes of play. WNE held Nichols to just three made field goals on defense while hitting five of their own, including the two late triples to take the 18-point lead. The Bison shot just 5/34 in the opening half, a 14.7% clip, going 0/13 from the outside. 

Third Quarter:

• Seven of the first nine points went Western New England's way in the first two minutes of the quarter. Sophie Hedge opened the frame with a triple on an assist from Paige Winter that continued to grow WNE's lead. Perry Blasetti and Winter both contributed with jumpers on back-to-back possessions, helping the Golden Bears jump out to a commanding 37-14 lead, forcing a Nichols timeout. 
• Erin Reen had her first two points of the night coming out of the Nichols timeout, while Blasetti continued her dominance on the floor with a driving layup following a turnover from Nichols, putting the Golden Bears ahead 41-16. WNE continued to extend the lead through the midway point of the quarter following a layup plus a foul shot from Sophie Hedge, who was up to 14 points in the contest. 
• The Golden Bears outscored Nichols 20-10 in the third quarter, finishing off the frame with four points from Lottia Barnes, which gave WNE a 50-22 lead. The Golden Bears had their best shooting quarter in the third, shooting 60% from the field, going 9/15 overall. The Golden Bears out-rebounded Nichols 11-3 in the quarter.  

Fourth Quarter:

• With the game well in their control, Western New England continued to add to their total as Katie Regan and Lottia Barnes had the opening four points in the quarter. Nichols could never gain any momentum after not being able to connect from the outside. Sarah West had a putback go down with 5:21 left in the game that saw WNE take a 30-point lead, 56-26. 
• The final five minutes of the contest saw Olivia Chrzan, Lizzie Hansen, Alexa Rabidoux, and Eliana Wood contribute on the floor as the Golden Bears finished the game with a 61-34 victory. 
• The Golden Bears needed just four field goals to go down in the fourth quarter as they were well on their way to victory. WNE was all over the glass with 14 rebounds in the quarter to Nichols' seven.

Inside the Lines:

• Sophie Hedge led Western New England with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the win. Hedge shot 4/8 from the field, sinking one triple. 
• Hannah Blake picked up ten points on 4/9 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. 
• Lottia Barnes was also in double figures with ten points for the Golden Bears, also shooting 4/9 from the field and picking up six rebounds. 
• Led by their hot shooting in the third quarter, WNE shot 44.4% from the field in the game and held Nichols to 19% shooting overall. 
• WNE collected 48 rebounds in the game while Nichols had 34. 
• Tonight's win marks the ninth straight for Western New England over Nichols, all of which have been double-digit victories. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England is set for a home Saturday afternoon contest against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday, January 17 at 2:00 PM inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.