Late Scoring Run Fuels Western New England Over Salve Regina in CCC Quarterfinals, 64-52

Farrell paces Golden Bears with career-high 24 points

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 19, 2019) - The third-seeded Western New England University women's basketball team used a late 17-6 run to put away No. 6 seed Salve Regina University and earn a 64-52 over the Seahawks in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) quarterfinals on Tuesday night at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

With the victory, the Golden Bears (18-8) move on to the CCC semifinals and will travel to University of New England on Thursday night to take on the No. 2 seeded Nor'easters (14-11, 12-4 CCC). Salve Regina's season comes to a close at 10-16.

Top Performers
The Golden Bears were carried by the trio of junior guard Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.), junior forward Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.), and junior forward Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.). Farrell finished with a career-high 24 points on 8-15 shooting, four assists, and four steals. Carlson had 16 points and controlled the glass with nine boards (six offensive). Orbann contributed 10 points and four rebounds.

Sophomore Lauren Chadwick (Gardiner, Maine) put together an all-around stat line of eight points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

For Salve Regina, senior forward Tara Burke (Londonderry, N.H.) and junior guard Torie Scorpio (Cranston, RI) led the Seahawks in scoring with 12 points apiece. Senior guard Kerri Beland (Attleboro, Mass.) added 11 points and eight boards.

Game Review
The Seahawks and Golden Bears traded baskets for most of the first quarter. The Golden Bears were energized by the strong play of Carlson, who scored six of the first eight points for Western New England. With the score tied at 8-8, Chadwick was able to poke the ball away from Scorpio and attack on the fast break. Chadwick finished through contact and sank the free throw to give the Golden Bears an 11-8 lead. With 25 ticks left in the quarter, Carlson would benefit off a dish from freshman forward Grace Fisher (Rocky Hill, Conn.) to push the score to 14-10 in favor of the Golden Bears.

In the second quarter, the Seahawks jumped out to a 12-4 run, paced by Scorpio's playmaking, to regain the lead. At 5:37, junior forward Olivia Valerio (Proctor, Vt.) connected on a three to cap off the run. The Golden Bears responded with a triple of their own from sophomore guard Julia Quinn (Thomaston, Conn.) off a Farrell drive and kick. On the next possession, Farrell would dish out another assist to Carlson who connected on a jumper to give the Golden Bears the lead at 23-22, with 4:43 remaining in the half. From there, the lead changed four times over a three-minute span. Farrell closed out the half with buckets on back-to-back possessions, giving Western New England a 30-27 lead.

To open up the second half, the Seahawks were sparked by a 7-0 run highlighted by five points from Burke, forcing a Western New England timeout. After the timeout, the Golden Bears came back with a 10-0 run over four-minute span fueled by Farrell's shooting. After a five-minute scoring drought, sophomore guard Mary Rorke (Norton, Mass.) buried a three to make it a three-point game. With five seconds left in the quarter, Orbann was rewarded for her hustle on the offensive glass and went to the free throw line, sinking one to give the Golden Bears 41-37 lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks opened with another strong start, using a 6-2 run to tie the game at 43 apiece. Farrell would score a quick four points forcing a Salve timeout. After the timeout, Scorpio knocked down a three to make it a one-point deficit at 47-46. From there, the Golden Bears would flex a 17-6 run to finish off the Seahawks courtesy of clutch play from Orbann, Farrell, and Chadwick. 

Notes
• The Golden Bears are advancing to the CCC semifinals for the fifth-straight season.
• Farrell has had four games this season with 20 points or more.