PROVIDENCE, R.I. (February 21, 2026) – The Western New England women's basketball team fell just short on Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University, who hit 13 three-point shots in the game, defeating the Golden Bears by a final score of 81-76. 

Records:

• Western New England: 18-7, 12-4 CNE
• Johnson & Wales University: 21-4, 15-1 CNE

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Hannah Blake opened the game with the first points of the game for the Golden Bears, which was quickly answered by a triple from JWU's Brianne Foley. Perry Blasetti avenged the triple from the Wildcats and got to the rim to score as the teams went back and forth to begin the opening three minutes of the game. The Wildcats opened a six-point lead to force a timeout from Western New England as Grace Jaffray, who went for 38 points in the first meeting between the two teams, got going on offense, giving the Wildcats an 11-5 lead with 5:40 to play. 
• Brianne Foley was up to a quick seven points for Johnson & Wales just five minutes into the game. Western New England had a response, quickly battling from six down. Olivia Chrzan, Sophie Hedge,  Lottia Barnes, and Blasetti all contributed for the Golden Bears to give WNE an 18-15 lead with 2:10 to play in the quarter. JWU's Foley was the first to reach double figures in the game, scoring half of the JWU points with a minute left to tie the game at 18. 
• Down the stretch, Western New England saw Erin Reen get to the rim following a steal and score to put the Golden Bears ahead 23-20 before JWU's Alexa Lora nailed a triple at the horn, tying the game at 23 at the end of the opening quarter. 
• The Golden Bears shot 64% from the field in the opening quarter, going 9/14 from the field. WNE missed both three-point attempts, while JWU hit three of its seven shots from the outside, shooting 47% in the quarter overall. The opening quarter featured six lead changes and five ties in the tight opening ten minutes.

Second Quarter:

• Olivia Chrzan was up to nine points in the opening 18 seconds of the second quarter, hitting from the outside, but was matched by JWU's Isabella Suero, as the Wildcats continued to strike it from distance. The Wildcats started the quarter 3/4 from the outside as the WNE defense couldn't contain the hot-shooting home team in the opening three minutes of the frame, seeing JWU lead by a pair, 32-30, with seven minutes remaining in the quarter. 
• The scoring cooled off as the game reached the midway point of the quarter, seeing both teams combine for just five points over a two-minute span, with Johnson & Wales leading 34-33. Western New England was scoreless for over three minutes before Perry Blasetti knocked down a pair of free throws to pull WNE back within one again, 36-35, as both teams went cold from the field. 
• The Wildcats picked up another bucket in the final seconds of a quarter and took a 38-35 lead into halftime. Both teams hit just four field goals in the quarter after a red-hot start to the game. JWU started the quarter 3/4 from deep, but finished 0/6. Western New England had the rebounding edge 13-9 in the quarter.

Third Quarter:

• JWU picked up six of the first eight points of the quarter in the first two and a half minutes. Brianne Foley was up to 20 points in the game while Jaffray got into double digits at the free throw line. Western New England was forced to call a timeout following another triple from Foley, giving JWU its largest lead of the game, nine, 47-38, with 7:03 to play. 
• WNE came out of the timeout by splashing a triple from Erin Reen to get WNE back within six, but JWU continued to hit from deep as Isabella Suero nailed back-to-back triples to push the Wildcats lead into double figures, 53-41. The Wildcats continued to shoot well from the field after a difficult second quarter and held a 12-point lead at the midway point of the quarter. 
• Johnson & Wales saw the lead continue to rise as they outscored the Golden Bears 26-12 in the quarter and took a 64-47 lead after three quarters of play. Western New England dropped in just another four field goals in the quarter while JWU shot 4/5 from the outside and 8/13 overall in the quarter to push the lead to 17 after 30 minutes of play. Brianne Foley was up to 25 points in the game for the Wildcats, while Perry Blasetti led the Golden Bears with 12. 

Fourth Quarter:

• The Golden Bears had ten of the opening 11 points of the fourth quarter to get right back into the game, trailing by just eight with still 7:57 to play in the frame. Sophie Hedge sparked WNE with a quick five points while Hedge and Paige Winter knocked down back-to-back triples, forcing Johnson & Wales to take a timeout. The Golden Bears trailed by six, 68-62, with 7:02 left after Perry Blasetti continued to drive the WNE offense, making the contest a two-possession game. 
• Western New England got within five as Winter hit again from the outside, who was up to nine points in the game with 5:51 to play, seeing WNE trail 70-65. Western New England's celebration only lasted 19 seconds as JWU came back to sink a triple of their own as Suero continued to be deadly from deep. Winter responded with another triple for the Golden Bears, but it seemed Johnson & Wales had an answer every time, as Jaffray then hit a triple of her own as the Wildcats took a 76-67 lead with under four minutes remaining in the game. 
• After the triple from Winter with 4:53 remaining, Western New England went cold from the field, going over three minutes without a field goal while Johnson & Wales also went without points for over three minutes. Olivia Chrzan broke the scoreless drought for the Golden Bears, getting to the rim and scoring with 1:20 remaining, bringing the Golden Bears back within six. With 23 seconds left, a floater from Isabella Suero brought JWU ahead by eight, 78-70, but another Winter triple, her third of the quarter, brought WNE back within five in the last 15 seconds of the frame. Western New England could not overcome the 13 triples and JWU's largest lead, 17, in the game, despite a valiant effort, falling by a final score of 81-76. 

Inside the Lines:

• Western New England dropped 29 points in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome the JWU offense, which dropped in 13 three-pointers in the win and went 20/26 from the free throw line. 
• Paige Winter led Western New England with 17 points, dropping four triples on five attempts, going 5/8 from the field overall. Winter picked up five steals, three assists, and a pair of rebounds in the game. 
• Olivia Chrzan went for 15 points, shooting 6/9 overall, grabbing five rebounds, and a block.
• Perry Blasetti went for 14 points and 11 rebounds, her second double-double of the season. 
• Sophie Hedge was also in double figures with 11 points while scooping up seven rebounds. 
• Three Wildcats went for double figures, with Brianne Foley leading JWU with 28 points on 9/16 shooting, going 6/9 from deep. Isabella Suero was 4/10 from the outside and dropped 20 points. Grace Jaffray was a perfect 8/8 at the free throw line and scored 15 points overall. 
• As a team, Western New England shot 43% from the field, a tick lower than JWU, which shot 44% overall. 
• WNE picked up 39 rebounds, 13 on the offensive glass. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• With today's result, Western New England takes the third seed in the upcoming Conference of New England Tournament and will take on Roger Williams University on Tuesday, February 24, at 6:00 PM inside the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.