Balanced Effort Helps Golden Bears Down Worcester State, 67-54

Seven players score at least seven points as Western New England earns second straight win

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 21, 2017) – The Western New England University women's basketball team used a balanced all-around effort to secure a 67-54 victory over Worcester State University on Tuesday evening in non-conference action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center Gym. 

Top Performers
• Sophomore forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) led the way for the Golden Bears with a team-high 13 points to go with nine rebounds, three steals, three assists and one block. Nine of Orbann's 13 points came at the free throw line, where she went 9-of-10.
• Junior guard Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) scored nine points and established a new career-high with nine boards while also recording three blocks and three assists.
• Senior guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) produced 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

• Worcester State junior guard Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) led all players with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
• Juniors Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) and Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) totaled nine and eight points, respectively, while sophomore Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) finished with seven points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.

Game Review
• The two teams traded baskets early, with Worcester State holding a 9-7 edge following a Herring jumper with 2:13 remaining in the opening quarter.
• Orbann tied the contest with a pair of free throws 22 seconds later, and freshman Emily Scurka (Billerica, Mass.) put Western New England ahead for good (11-9) with a layup at the 1:19 mark. A layup by sophomore guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) with 49 seconds remaining in the period and a jumper by O'Neill in the closing seconds gave Western New England a 15-9 advantage through ten minutes of play.
• Four Western New England free throws early in the second quarter, including two by Orbann 27 seconds into the frame, capped a 12-0 run that saw the Golden Bears extend their lead to ten (19-9).
• Worcester State answered with five straight points to pull back to within five, but three straight layups helped the Golden  Bears to push their lead back into double figures (25-14) with 6:04 on the clock. Western New England led by as much as 14 (30-16) following two Gilhool free throws at the 4:03 mark, before settling for a 34-22 halftime cushion.
• Surprenant completed a three-point play two minutes into the second half to cut the Worcester State's deficit to ten, and the Lancers got to within nine (45-36) on a layup by freshman Colleen Cutting (Auburn, Mass.) with 3:15 remaining. The visitors would get no closer, however, as Western New England sophomore forward Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) knocked down a jumper in the final seconds to extend the lead back into double figures (49-38) heading into the fourth.
• The Golden Bears continued to pull away over the final ten minutes, as they held their largest lead of 17 (61-44) on a layup by junior Caroline Niland (Waltham, Mass.) with 4:41 remaining before going on to win by 13.

Notes
• Western New England turned in season-best shooting percentages from the field (42.3%) and free throw line (83.3%).
• Farrell contributed eight points (4-of-5 shooting), three assists and two steals in 16 minutes off the bench.
• The Golden Bears limited the Lancers to 31.3 percent (20-of-64) shooting from the field and 20 percent (3-of-15) from beyond the arc. 

Up Next
Western New England (2-1) will be off until next Wednesday, when the Golden Bears open Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play at home against Roger Williams at 7:30 p.m. Worcester State (2-2) returns home to host Wellesley on Sunday.