Box Score WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (January 28, 2026) – The Western New England women's basketball team started the opening quarter of Wednesday's Conference of New England road game with just three points and followed that up with just six in the second quarter, scoring nine points in the first half to their demise as the University of Hartford Hawks defeated the Golden Bears by a final score of 58-45. 

Records:

• Western New England 12-6, 6-3 CNE
• University of Hartford: 11-8, 8-2 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• The Golden Bears and Hawks got into a defensive battle right from the opening jump of the game, as neither team scored a point in the first four minutes of the game. The first bucket of the game came at the 5:11 mark when Ava Naszimento got to the rim to score for the Hawks, giving Hartford the opening 2-0 lead. The Golden Bears had no points through the midway point of the opening half, shooting 0/6 from the field, including 0/4 from the outside. The Hawks were just 1/6 from the field to begin the game, also going 0/4 from distance.
• The Hawks took a 7-0 lead with 2:17 to play after a three-pointer went down for Taryn Blevins. Hartford continued to make it hard for Western New England on offense, seeing the Golden Bears shoot 0/9 from the field before Sophie Hedge scored the first basket of the game for the Golden Bears with 1:30 remaining in the quarter, coming from the outside. Those three points were all the Golden Bears picked up in the opening ten minutes, trailing 10-3 at the end of the quarter. 
• Western New England shot 1/11 from the field in the opening frame, their worst quarter of the season. Hartford, not much better, shot 3/12 from the field. Both teams managed to go 1/6 from deep. Hartford led 12-6 in the rebounding category, including four offensive boards. 

Second Quarter:

• The opening two and a half minutes of the second quarter didn't see either team score as the Golden Bears stayed cold from the field. Perry Blasetti got WNE on the board for just their second field goal of the game at the 7:16 mark of the frame, bringing Western New England within five. Hartford had no points in the second quarter through the midway point while Western New England picked up just the two from Blasetti. Hartford was 0/3 from the floor at the midway point of the quarter, committing four turnovers, while Western New England was just 1/9.
• Hedge pulled the Golden Bears within three after knocking down a jumper, which was quickly answered by Hartford when Lauren Sabia made a field goal of her own. The two teams saw four straight possessions where a basket was scored, with the Hawks holding onto a 14-9 lead with 3:10 to play in the half. Hartford dropped in a quick six points to double up the Golden Bears, 18-9, after Sidnee Bowden picked up a three for the Hawks with 3:01 left in the quarter. 
• Down the stretch in the final three minutes of the first half, neither team picked up a bucket as the Hawks maintained their nine-point lead. The Golden Bears shot 3/15 from the field in the second quarter while Hartford took seven shots, netting three of them. 
• WNE was a dismal 4/26 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, committing nine turnovers. Hartford was just 6/19 from the floor, going 2/8 from the outside, 4/4 at the free throw line, and outrebounded the Golden Bears 19-15. 

Third Quarter:

•  The Golden Bears were first on the scoreboard on the first possession of the second half when Erin Reen scored her first two points of the game. Cold shooting continued for both teams in the opening minutes of the second half as Hartford was without a field goal through the midway point of the quarter. The Hawks were saved, for a moment, by a pair of free throws by Allie Shenloogian, but Olivia Chrzan and Sophie Hedge had back-to-back hoops for the Golden Bears to pull them back within five, 20-15, with 5:28 to play. 
• Both teams found their scoring touch following as Paige Winter hit from the outside while Hartford scored with another Naszimento layup, seeing the hosts lead 24-18. Western New England was forced to take a timeout after the Hawks scored six points in a row to take their first double-digit lead of the game, leading 28-18 with 3:01 remaining in the quarter.  
• Out of the timeout for the Golden Bears, Katie Regan entered the contest and put together her first field goal of the game to get WNE within eight. The teams exchanged hoops down the stretch, with Winter hitting her second triple of the quarter while Chrzan knocked down a free throw, but Hartford answered with a pair of points from the line to take a 33-24 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Golden Bears shot 6/14 from the field in the frame while Hartford made four of their eight shots. The Hawks went 7/8 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Golden Bears again, this quarter 9-4.

Fourth Quarter:

• Hartford's Allie Shenloogian shined for the Hawks and had the home team ahead by 11 on the first possession of the fourth quarter, up to double figures in scoring for the night. Hartford continued their excellent shooting to begin the fourth frame as Lauren Sabia and Ava Naszimento helped the Hawks lead by as many as 13 with 8:30 remaining, 39-26. Hartford's big lead to open the fourth quarter overwhelmed the Golden Bears, who fell behind by 15 points with less than seven minutes remaining.
• Perry Blasetti got Western New England back within 12 after splashing a triple with 4:37 left, giving the Blue and Gold hope of a comeback. Blasetti had the next layup after Regan came up with a steal as Western New England was back ten with 3:51 to play. The senior continued the scoring for WNE with just over three minutes remaining, hitting a pair of free throws while Regan had her sixth point of the quarter, pulling the Golden Bears back within five with 2:31 remaining. 
• Shenloogian put the Hawks back ahead by eight following a made layup plus a foul shot, which was the knockout punch in the game as Hartford took the CNE victory, avenging their defeat earlier this season in Springfield, taking down the Golden Bears by a final score of 58-45. 

Inside the Lines:

• Western New England's slow shooting in the first half and much of the third quarter came to their demise as they fell for the first time in program history to the University of Hartford.  The Golden Bears produced just nine points in the opening half, including three in the first quarter. 
• Allie Shenloogian and Ava Naszimento led Hartford with double-digits in scoring, as Shenloogian and Naszimento both dropped 16 points each. 
• Perry Blasetti and Sophie Hedge had ten points each for the Golden Bears. Katie Regan came off the bench to spark the Golden Bears with eight points in the fourth quarter.
• The Golden Bears shot just 33% from the floor in the game while Hartford, who hit the same number of field goals as the Golden Bears (18), shot 44% for the game. 
• The Hawks got to the free throw line 24 times in the game, making 20 of their free throws. Western New England was just 4/9 from the line. 
• Hartford was just 2/13 from the outside while WNE made five of their 16 attempts. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears return home when they host Suffolk University on Saturday, January 31, at 1:00 PM inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.