BRISTOL, R.I. (January 24, 2026) -  The Western New England women's basketball team held the Hawks of Roger Williams University to just 41 points on Saturday afternoon, including single digits in the first and third quarters, coming away with an important 51-41 victory in Conference of New England action. 

Records:

• Western New England: 12-5, 6-2 CNE
• Roger Williams University: 11-7, 7-2 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Roger Williams got off to a quick start in the opening minute of the game as Sophia Coppola and Meg Qualey had the first five points for the Hawks, giving the hosts the early lead. Hannah Blake had the Golden Bears' first bucket of the afternoon retaliated by RWU, as Coppola, RWU's leading scorer, was up to a quick five points in the game just 1:40 into it. 
• Western New England then got hot from the field while the defense of the Golden Bears found its mark. Perry Blasetti and Paige Winter combined to tie the game at seven while Sophie Hedge put the Golden Bears in front at the midway point of the quarter, still holding the Hawks to just seven points overall. WNE's 9-0 run in the opening frame put them ahead 11-7 with two and a half minutes remaining before the Hawks had their next hoop. 
• Down the stretch of the opening quarter, the Golden Bears put together two more buckets as Blasetti and Lottia Barnes came away with points in the paint, giving the Golden Bears a 15-9 lead after one quarter. WNE held the Hawks to just 25% shooting in the opening quarter while Western New England cashed in seven field goals, shooting 41% overall. 

Second Quarter:

• A quick four points were on the board to open the second quarter for WNE as Devlyn McDonald and Sophie Hedge picked up points to put the Golden Bears ahead by double digits, 19-9. Paige Winter extended the WNE lead to 12, hitting from distance for the first time in the game, giving Western New England a 22-10 lead with 7:54 to play in the quarter. 
• RWU didn't have their first field goal go down until the 4:16 mark of the second quarter as WNE was ahead 26-10 at that time. Roger Williams then came away with a 9-0 run of their own to get right back in the game, capped off by a Chloe Richardson triple, giving the Hawks 19 points for the game, with WNE leading 26-19. Blasetti continued to be a key contributor for the Golden Bears on offense, finishing the half with a layup as the Golden Bears took a 28-19 lead at the break. 
• WNE shot 4/5 from inside the arc, shooting 5/11 overall in the quarter. Roger Williams picked up just three made field goals as the stymie WNE defense helped the Golden Bears take the lead at halftime. 

Third Quarter:

• Sophie Hedge opened the third quarter with a quick five points, pulling the Golden Bears back ahead by double digits, 33-19. Devlyn McDonald extended WNE's lead to 17 points with a jumper with 5:27 remaining in the quarter, seeing the Golden Bears take a 37-20 lead. 
• The WNE defense held Roger Williams to just eight points in the third quarter overall, while the team matched their first-quarter total with 15 points themselves. Back-to-back triples from Paige Winter opened the game up to an 18-point lead before a pair of free throws at the end of the quarter gave Western New England a 43-27 advantage after three quarters of play. 
• Roger Williams was just 1/8 from the field in the third frame, while Western New England cashed in three triples out of their six made field goals, taking the 16-point lead after 30 minutes of play. 

Fourth Quarter:

• The first made field goal of the fourth quarter did not come until the Hawks connected on a jumper with 6:48 remaining as the two teams played outstanding defense. The Golden Bears were held scoreless until 2:39 remaining in the fourth frame when Lottia Barnes dropped home a pair of free throws to keep the Golden Bears' lead in double figures. 
• The Hawks were ice cold for most of the game until they battled back to drop Western New England's lead down to single digits with 1:41 to play when Sakoya Sweeney hit a pair of free throws, seeing WNE's lead fall to nine points, 45-36. Down the stretch, WNE's free-throw shooting saved them, going 8/12 from the line as the Hawks were desperate to foul the Golden Bears down late in the game. 
• Western New England did not make a field goal in the final 10 minutes of play, going 0/4 from the field, but was able to hold onto a 51-41 victory over the Hawks as Roger Williams shot a poor 5/22 from the field in the fourth quarter, going 0/6 from the outside as the Blue and Gold picked up an important Conference of New England win. 

Inside the Lines:

• Paige Winter led the Golden Bears with 14 points in the game, shooting 5/6 from the field and 3/4 from deep. Winter picked up four rebounds, a block, and a steal for the Blue and Gold. 
• Perry Blasetti was also in double figures for WNE on Saturday, picking up 13 points on 5/8 shooting, scooping nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and three steals in the game. 
• The WNE defense held the Hawks to just 23% shooting in the game as RWU shot 13/56 overall. Roger Williams was 3/16 from the outside. 
• WNE had the rebound advantage, 42-34, including 31-18 on the defensive glass. 
• Saturday marks the fourth straight victory for the Golden Bears over Roger Williams after previously losing seven in a row to the Hawks.  

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Another important CNE game is just around the corner for the Golden Bears as they visit the University of Hartford on Wednesday, January 28, at 5:30 PM in a matchup of two of the top teams in the conference standings.