Western New England Defeats Nichols 59-35 for Fifth Straight Win

Golden Bears dominate third quarter, outscoring Bison 24-8

DUDLEY, Mass. (January 30, 2019) – The Western New England University women's basketball team outscored Nichols College 24-8 in the third quarter on its way to a 59-35 victory over the Bison on Wednesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Top Performers
Western New England's balanced offense included three double-figure scorers in juniors Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) and Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) and sophomore Lauren Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine). Orbann finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards, while Farrell totaled 14 points, four assists and two rebounds.

Chadwick turned in a 12-point, 3-rebound effort, and classmate Emily Scurka (Billerica, Mass.) chipped in with seven points and a team-high 10 boards off the bench.

Nichols senior Mekaela Fithian-Giantonio (Plainville, Conn.) paced the Bison with 12 points, while sophomore Isabella Nerney (Guilford, Conn.) contributed ten points, nine boards and four assists in reserve duty.

Game Review
Western New England got off to a slow start offensively, as the Golden Bears were held without a basket until Chadwick made a layup 4:28 into the contest. Nichols connected on a pair of three-pointers early in the first quarter, and the Bison led 10-4 after ten minutes of play.

Chadwick and Farrell both connected from beyond the arc early in the second period, but the Golden Bears still trailed 15-10 after Shannon St. Lawrence (Milton, N.H.) knocked down a jumper at the 6:38 mark.

Western New England closed the gap to two (18-16) on an Orbann three-pointer with 4:09 left in the half, before eventually taking its first lead (20-18) when junior Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) made a jumper with 2:36 on the clock. A Farrell triple at the buzzer extended the Golden Bears' advantage to five at the break.

Western New England took control of the game in the third quarter, as the Golden Bears outscored the Bison 24-8 and outshot the home team 73.3 percent to 17.6 percent. A jumper by senior Meghan Gilhool (Montrose, Pa.) 1:14 into the frame started an 11-0 run that saw Western New England push its lead to 18 (37-19), and the Golden Bears held a 47-26 cushion heading into the fourth.

Western New England continued to play strong defense in the final period, as the Golden Bears limited the Bison to just nine points and cruised to a 24-point victory.

Notes
• Western New England shot 29.3 percent from the field while limiting the Bison to just 21.3 percent shooting.
• The Golden Bears outrebounded Nichols 48-36, led by Scurka and Orbann.
• Western New England won its two meetings with Nichols this season by 23 and 24 points, respectively.

Up Next
Western New England (14-7, 8-4 CCC) will look to extend its winning streak to six games on Saturday, when the Golden Bears return home to take on Curry. Nichols (4-17, 2-10 CCC) hosts Roger Williams next Tuesday.