SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 25, 2026) – The No. 3-seeded Western New England women's basketball team used a 17-point, 8-assist, four-steal performance from senior Paige Winter to defeat the No. 6-seeded Hawks of Roger Williams University on Wednesday night in the Conference of New England (CNE) opening round to advance to the CNE Semifinals, downing the Hawks by a final score of 72-64. 

Records:

• No. 3 Western New England: 19-7
• No. 6 Roger Williams University: 13-13

How it Happened:

First Quarter:

• Western New England came out hot in the opening four minutes of the first quarter, taking an early 10-2 lead. Hannah Blake opened the scoring for the Golden Bears, while Perry Blasetti had a quick five points, and Paige Winter began her barrage of triples to send the Golden Bears out to an early lead. 
• Roger Williams quickly punched back following a timeout and evened the score at 12, going on a 10-2 run, led by Sophia Coppola and Maia Riccio. Roger Williams had its first lead of the game with 55 seconds to play in the quarter, coming back quickly from an early deficit. 
• The final 55 seconds of the opening quarter featured eight points, six coming for the visitors, who opened up a four-point lead at the end of the opening 10 minutes after RWU's Meg Qualey nailed a jumper at the buzzer to lead the Hawks to a 21-17 lead. 
• Both teams shot well to begin the contest, Roger Williams going 9/16 from the field and 2/5 from deep, while Western New England hit seven of its 13 shots, going 3/6 from beyond the arc. 

Second Quarter:

• The second frame was nearly one-sided, as Western New England took over the second 10 minutes of play. Olivia Chrzan opened the frame by sticking a triple on WNE's first offensive possession of the game. Chrzan and Blasetti continued to score and gave the Golden Bears a 24-23 lead with 7:03 remaining in the quarter. 
• RWU senior Sophia Coppola led the offense for the Hawks, keeping the game tight in the frame, tying it at 26  before an 8-0 run from the Golden Bears stretched out the lead for the hosts as Hannah Blake, Paige Winter, and Sophie Hedge contributed offensively. 
• Winter continued to stay hot from the field in the final two minutes of the quarter, sticking a pair of triples to begin the game a perfect 4/4 from the outside, allowing Western New England to take its first double-digit lead at the end of the quarter, leading 40-30. 
• The Golden Bears outscored the Hawks 23-9 in the second, shooting 9/15 from the floor and another 3/6 from deep. RWU made just two field goals in the second quarter, shooting 2/11. 

Third Quarter:

• Paige Winter connected on her first five triples in the game overall, nailing Western New England's first three in the third quarter to extend the lead to 11 in the opening minute and a half. Roger Williams had an answer with a quick 6-0 run as the game reached the midway point of the third quarter, as the Hawks trail by just five with 5:26 to play. 
• The third quarter featured just 18 points total, with RWU scoring 11 of those, trailing by just six with ten minutes remaining in the contest. Coppola led the Hawks with six points in the quarter.
• WNE made just three of its 19 shots in the quarter, unable to find an offensive rhythm. Roger Williams made just three field goals, but hit five free throws to stay in the game.

Fourth Quarter:

• Coppola opened the fourth quarter with a triple, pulling RWU within three points of a tie. The Hawks hung around, answering every bucket Western New England produced in the frame. Sophie Hedge had the opening five points for the Golden Bears, all answered by the Hawks to keep them within striking distance. 
• Perry Blasetti dropped in a triple with 6:43 remaining, followed by a Hannah Blake layup to give WNE a 57-50 lead. The Golden Bears caught fire from the outside, seeing Hedge drop a triple of her own with 4:19 left, extending the WNE lead to ten, 62-52. 
• The lead in the quarter grew to as many as 12 for the Golden Bears, who saw the Hawks nail a three with 2:22 left, but Hedge had the dagger with 1:59 remaining, icing the game with another triple, scoring 11 total points in the quarter to lift the Golden Bears to a victory. WNE finished the game off at the free throw line, with Blasetti and Erin Reen hitting shots to give the Golden Bears a 72-64 victory, advancing to the CNE Semifinals for the fifth straight season. 

Inside the Lines:

• Paige Winter played in all 40 minutes for the Golden Bears in the win, scoring 17 points, shooting 6/12 from the field and 5/8 from distance. Winter also picked up eight assists, four steals, and a pair of blocks. The eight assists add to her total that broke the WNE women's basketball single-season assists record, one that had stood for 36 years. 
• Perry Blasetti scored 14 points for the Golden Bears, going 5/9 from the field, including 2/3 from deep, while picking up seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 
• Hannah Blake ended the night with 14 points, shooting 7/15 from inside the paint, coming away with a team-high eight rebounds. 
• Sophie Hedge shined for the Golden Bears in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of her 13 points in it, shooting 4/11 from the field, picking up six rebounds, four assists, and a steal in the win. 
• The Golden Bears shot 45% from the field in the win and hit 11 three-pointers, one shy of a season-best. 
• RWU's Sophia Coppola dropped in 23 points on 8/13 shooting, going 2/3 from deep and 5/6 at the free throw line. The senior grabbed six rebounds and four blocks. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England will challenge No. 2 Endicott College on Friday, February 27, at 5:30 PM in the Conference of New England Semifinals for a shot at the championship game.