Golden Bears Bounce Back with 56-33 Win over Nichols

Stefanelli posts second career double-double with 16 points & 11 rebounds

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (January 8, 2019) – The Western New England University women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort to earn a 56-33 victory over Nichols College on Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
Western New England junior forward Alyssa Stefanelli (Chicopee, Mass.) posted her second career double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds (both game-highs) and one steal. She shot 5-of-9 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

Junior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) was the only other Golden Bear in double figures with 11 points, while classmates Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) and Sydney Fisher (Strafford, N.H.) chipped in with seven points each off the bench.

Nichols was led by sophomore guard Isabella Nerney (Guilford, Conn.), who produced nine points, five rebounds and three assists.

Game Review
Stefanelli scored the first seven points of the game for the Golden Bears before Nerney got the Bison on the board with a four-point play just over four minutes into the contest.

Leading 11-9 after the first quarter, Western New England opened the second period with a 7-1 run to establish an 18-10 advantage following two Carlson free throws at the 8:25 mark.

The Golden Bears, who limited the Bison to just four points in the quarter, closed out the half with a 9-2 spurt to extend their lead to 14 (27-13) at the break.

Western New England continued to add to its cushion in the third, outscoring Nichols 16-6 to open up a 24-point advantage (43-19) heading into the fourth quarter.

The Golden Bears saw their lead grow to a game-high 26 points (55-29) late in the contest, before the Bison cut the final margin to 23.

Notes
• Western New England limited Nichols to 25.5 percent shooting (13-of-51), and the Golden Bears outrebounded the Bison 43-35.
• Nichols committed 22 turnovers, which resulted in 18 Western New England points.

Up Next
Western New England (9-4, 4-2 CCC) wraps up its three-game homestand on Thursday against Salve Regina, while Nichols (3-10, 1-4 CCC) travels to Boston to take on Wentworth.