BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team could not find its first conference win of the season Tuesday evening, as Western New England College defeated the Hawks 57-38.

A strong defensive effort led to a low-scoring first half for both teams, as the Hawks and Golden Bears combined for only 29 points. The Golden Bears forced 12 turnovers and held the Hawks to only 4-of-28 shooting from the field in the period.

Conversely, the Hawk defense kept WNEC to only seven field goals in the period along with ten turnovers. The end result was a 19-10 score at the half in favor of WNEC.

In the second half, a game that looked to be within reach for the Hawks quickly turned in favor of WNEC. The Golden Bears stormed out on a 17-5 run to extend their lead to 21 in the opening seven minutes. Western New England never allowed the Hawks to cut into the double-digit lead from that point on.

Three players scored in double digits for the Golden Bears, including Caitlin Powers, who led all scorers with 14 off the bench. Taryn Belowsky dropped 12, while Katie Arey chipped in with ten.

Heather Babin (Danvers, Mass.) led the Hawks with a double-double, scoring ten points and 11 rebounds, along with four blocks. Kate Malenczak (Sayville, N.Y.) reached double figures for the third straight game, scoring 11. Jackie Criss (Westwood, Mass.) added six points and five assists.

Roger Williams (2-11, 0-2 TCCC) will travel up to Boston Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. matchup against Wentworth Institute of Technology. Western New England (6-7. 2-0 TCCC) takes on Endicott College Saturday at 1:00 p.m.