Golden Bears Take Control Early in 83-57 Win over Wentworth

Gilhool posts first career double-double with 18 points, ten rebounds

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 16, 2018) – The Western New England University women's basketball team built an 18-point halftime lead on its way to an 83-57 victory over the Wentworth Institute of Technology on Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center. 

Top Performers
• Junior guard Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) led the Golden Bears with her first career double-double, as she scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, to go with ten rebounds and two assists.
• Sophomore guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) made 6-of-10 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws on her way to 16 points, while also recording five assists, four steals and three rebounds.
• Senior guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) added 12 points, and sophomore forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) finished one point shy of her third double-double of the season with nine points and 11 boards.

• Senior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.), sophomore Samantha Madden (Plainville, Mass.) and freshman Stephanie Mini (Topsfield, Mass.) scored 12 points each for Wentworth.

Game Review
Western New England, which led 16-13 after ten minutes of play, took control of the contest in the second quarter. The Golden Bears opened the frame with a 6-0 run and took a ten-point lead (26-16) on a layup by Farrell with just under six minutes left in the half. A three-pointer by Orbann with 1:02 on the clock started a 7-0 run to close out the quarter as Western New England held a 39-21 lead at the break.

Wentworth cut its deficit to 11 (40-31) early in the third quarter after freshman Erin Morton (Norway, Maine) connected from long range, but the Leopards would get no closer. Western New England answered on its ensuing possession with a triple from Gilhool, and the junior followed with two layups as the Golden Bears extended their advantage back to 18 (48-30) at the 6:33 mark. Another Gilhool trey a minute later made it a 20-point game (52-32), and Western New England would go on to lead by as much as 35 late in the fourth quarter before posting a 26-point triumph. 

Notes
• Western New England shot 44.7 percent (34-of-76) from the field while limiting Wentworth to 29.5 percent (18-of-61) shooting.
• The Golden Bears outrebounded the Leopards 49-32 and scored 54 points in the paint.
• Western New England turned the ball over a season-low ten times while scoring 21 points off 16 Wentworth turnovers. 

Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday, as Western New England (10-5, 6-2 CCC) hosts Gordon and Wentworth (2-13, 1-7 CCC) travels to Roger Williams.