Western New England Falls to Neumann in Tip-Off Tournament Championship, 69-66

Orbann & Farrell named to All-Tournament Team

ASTON, Pa. (November 18, 2018) – The Neumann University women's basketball team made key plays down the stretch to earn a 69-66 victory over Western New England University on Sunday in the championship game of the Neumann Tip-Off Tournament at the Mirenda Center.

Top Performers
Western New England was led by junior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.), who scored a career-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. Orbann shot 5-of-11 from the field and made 9-of-11 free throws.

Junior guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) was the only other Golden Bear in double figures with 13 points. Farrell also contributed seven rebounds, four steals and two assists.

For Neumann, sophomore guard Minika Glenn (Philadelphia, Pa.) paced all players with a game-high 23 points and also recorded eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block.

Senior center Mariah Maciejewski (Dunmore, Pa.) posted a double-double as she scored 17 points (8-9 FG) and grabbed a game-high 12 boards to go with four assists.

Orbann, Farrell, Glenn and Neumann senior guard Nafisa Saunders (Coatesville, Pa.) were named to the All-Tournament Team, with Saunders collecting MVP honors.

Game Review
Western New England trailed Neumann by two (53-51) entering the fourth quarter, and the Golden Bears saw their deficit grow to five (62-57) following a layup by sophomore Lauren Leicht (Briarcliffe, Pa.) midway through the period.

Western New England answered with five straight points to tie the score at 62, but Neumann took the lead for good on a steal and layup by Glenn with 1:20 remaining.

Two Glenn free throws with 22 seconds to play extended the Knights' advantage to five (68-63). Farrell connected from long range with 13 seconds left to cut the Golden Bears' deficit to two (68-66), and after Glenn made 1-of-2 free throws, Orbann was off the mark on a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.

Western New England led 19-11 after ten minutes of play, before the Knights outscored the Golden Bears 27-15 in the second quarter to claim a 38-34 edge at halftime.

After briefly falling behind early in the third quarter, Neumann surged back ahead and maintained a two-point lead heading into the fourth.

Notes
• Western New England shot 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the field, while Neumann shot 39.1 percent (27-of-69).
• Farrell is averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game through four contests this season.

Up Next
Western New England (3-1) will be back on the road Tuesday night at Worcester State, while Neumann (4-0) travels to Widener.