Western New England Takes Down Crosstown Rival Springfield College, 58-49

Golden Bears snap three-game losing streak to Pride

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 13, 2018) – The Western New England University women's basketball team used a hot start and a strong finish to take down crosstown rival Springfield College, 58-49, on Tuesday evening in non-conference action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
Junior guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with a strong all-around effort, as she scored a team-high 15 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds. Farrell shot 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-8 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) recorded 13 points, six boards and four assists, while junior Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) added ten points, five steals and three rebounds.

Springfield junior guard Emily Jacques (Auburn, Maine) paced the Pride with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

Senior Chelsea McAllister (Baltimore, Vt.) scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, while junior Taylor Hall (Tolland, Conn.) chipped in with 11 points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Game Review
Western New England was on fire from the field in the first quarter, as the Golden Bears made 4-of-6 three-pointers and shot 9-of-14 overall (64.3%) on their way to a 23-12 lead.

Western New England carried its momentum into the second period with a 6-2 run to start the frame as the lead grew to 15 (29-14) with 5:42 remaining.

Springfield responded with a 9-0 run over the remainder of the half, however, as the Pride closed to within six (29-23) at the break.

Western New England regained control of the contest at the start of the third quarter with an 8-0 run that included three-pointers by Farrell and Gilhool to push the Golden Bears advantage to 14 (37-23) with 8:26 on the clock. A triple by junior Alyssa Stefanelli (Chicopee, Mass.) a minute later gave Western New England its largest lead of the night (40-24).

The Golden Bears still held a 43-30 advantage after Farrell made 1-of-2  free throws with 3:34 left in the third, but Springfield again fought its way back into the contest with an 8-0 run to close to within five (43-38) heading into the final quarter.

The Pride got as close as three on two occasions early in the fourth, but Western New England never relinquished its lead. Orbann drained a clutch straightaway three-pointer to make it a nine-point game (51-42) with 4:44 to play, and the Golden Bears sealed the contest at the free throw line down the stretch.

Notes
• Western New England's win snaps a three-game losing streak to the Pride. Before tonight, the Golden Bears' last win in the series was a 68-63 result on November 18, 2014.
• Western New England scored 26 points off 20 Springfield turnovers.
• The Golden Bears' reserves outscored the Pride's bench 12-3.

Up Next
Western New England (2-0) travels Aston, Pa. this weekend to compete at the Neumann University Tip-Off Tournament. The Golden Bears will take on Rutgers-Camden on Saturday at 4 p.m. and either Neumann or Hood College on Sunday. Springfield (1-1) will play in the Middlebury College Tip-Off Classic over the weekend.