Western New England Extends Winning Streak to Four with 78-58 Victory over Nichols

Emily Anderson nets career-high 25 points for Golden Bears

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 6, 2016) – The Western New England University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four games with a 78-58 victory over Nichols College this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
• Senior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) fueled the Western New England offense with a career-high 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Anderson also grabbed seven rebounds to go with two steals.  
• Senior forward Paige Young (Berlin, Conn.) turned in a strong all-around effort with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, six boards (four offensive), four assists and two steals.
• Senior guard Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.) was the third Golden Bear to score in double figures with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. 

• Sophomore forward Amy Assad (Millis, Mass.) paced Nichols with team-highs in points (15), rebounds (eight) and assists (four).
• Junior forward Allison Cerrato (Rockland, Mass.) added 11 points, five boards and two assists for the Bison.

Game Review
• Western New England shot 47.4% from the field in the first quarter on its way to a 22-13 lead. Anderson scored five points during a 9-0 Golden Bear run midway through the period, before converting a layup with 1:02 on the clock to put Western New England up 20-10. Nichols trailed by nine at the conclusion of the first quarter following freshman guard Emily Farrell's (New Fairfield, Conn.) layup in the closing seconds.
• The Golden Bears quickly pushed their lead back into double figures early in the second quarter, but Nichols sophomore Anna McDaniel (Taunton, Mass.) completed a traditional three-point play midway through the period and Cerrato knocked down a jumper with 3:27 remaining to cut the Bison's deficit to five (30-25).
• Western New England closed out the half on a 13-4 run, with Anderson scoring seven points and Young adding four, to extend its advantage to 14 (43-29) at the break.
• The Golden Bears continued to add to their lead in the third quarter, as Battaini scored five straight points early on and Anderson capped an 8-0 run with a three-pointer to make it a 21-point game (53-32) at the 6:35 mark of the period.
• A triple by Assad late in the third quarter had the Bison within 18 heading into the fourth, but they were unable to get closer than 14 the rest of the way as Western New England cruised to a 20-point triumph.

Notes
• Western New England shot 45.5% (30-of-66) from the field, while Nichols connected at a 42.9% (21-of-49) clip.
• The Golden Bears have posted consecutive 20+ point victories for the first time since January 31-February 3, 2015.
• Anderson's previous career-high of 24 points came in Western New England's 61-55, double overtime win over Arcadia in Puerto Rico last December.
• The Golden Bears recorded a season-high 21 assists on their 30 made field goals and turned the ball over just 11 times, their second lowest total this season.

Up Next
Western New England (5-2, 3-0 CCC) will look to keep rolling on Thursday at Westfield State, while Nichols (1-5, 1-2 CCC) travels to Worcester State.