Golden Bears Take Control Early En Route to 72-58 Win at Gordon

Western New England improves to 3-0 in CCC play

WENHAM, Mass. (December 4, 2018) – The Western New England University women's basketball team established a 20-7 lead through one quarter and a 19-point advantage at halftime on its way to a 72-58 victory at Gordon College on Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Bennett Center.

Top Performers
Junior guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) led the Golden Bears, scoring a team-high 18 points to go with seven assists and three rebounds. Farrell connected on 5-of-9 field goal attempts, including her only three-pointer, and 7-of-9 at the free throw line.

Junior guard Sydney Fisher (Strafford, N.H.) fell one rebound short of her first career double-double, as she finished with career-highs in both points (12) and rebounds (nine).

Junior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) also came up just shy of a double-double with nine points and a game-high 11 boards, while classmate Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) chipped in with ten points and four rebounds.

Gordon junior guard Meghan Foley (Malden, Mass.) paced all players with a game-high 21 points, despite shooting just 7-of-24 from the field. Foley also recorded four rebounds and three assists.

Junior forward Sarah Gibbs (Elizabethtown, Pa.) added 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Fighting Scots.

Game Review
Western New England took the lead for good (4-2) on a layup by Farrell 2:32 into the contest that sparked an early 9-0 run as the Golden Bears pulled ahead 11-2.

Western New England expanded its advantage to 12 (16-4) when Carlson knocked down a jumper with 4:34 left in the opening quarter, and the Golden Bears led 20-7 after ten minutes of play.

Three-pointers by Fisher, senior Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) and Orbann early in the second period made it a 20-point game (29-9). The Golden Bears held their biggest lead of the night (34-11) following a layup by Fisher with 5:25 remaining in the half, but the Fighting Scots responded with a 14-2 run and closed the gap to 11 (36-25) with 2:08 on the clock. Western New England was able to regain the momentum heading into the break with a 10-2 run the rest of the way, led by eight points from Farrell.

Gordon outscored Western New England 14-11 in the third quarter to pull to within 16 (57-41) heading into the fourth, but the Golden Bears kept the Fighting Scots at bay down the stretch to earn a 14-point victory.

Notes
• Western New England outrebounded Gordon 42-35 and the Golden Bears held a 17-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Western New England has won three straight games, including the past two by a combined 39 points.

Up Next
Western New England (6-2, 3-0 CCC) returns home on Thursday for a non-conference contest against RPI, while Gordon (2-7, 1-2 CCC) hosts Brandeis on Saturday.