SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team handed Western New England University its first loss in Commonwealth Coast Conference play Thursday night at the Alumni Healthful Living Center field house, defeating WNE 76-60.

The loss drops the Golden Bears record to 4-3 (2-1 CCC), while the visiting Hawks improve to 3-4 (1-2 CCC).

Western New England was within two points of tying the contest midway through the second half, but a devastating 12-0 run by Roger Williams put the game out of reach.

Senior tri-captain Emily Savino led the Golden Bears with a game-high 23 points and four rebounds, while Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) of the Hawks had an impressive all around game by scoring 17 points, pulling in 13 rebounds and dishing out six assists.

The first half began with both teams trading 3-pointers, including two by Katie Eckert who scored all eight of her points to open the contest for Western New England. Roger Williams was eventually able to build a lead by taking the ball into the paint and dominating the glass, particularly on the offensive end. The Hawks were able to come away with nine offensive rebounds in the first half (compared with four for the Golden Bears) which led to several second chance points.

Despite these numbers, the Golden Bears were able to pull within one point of Roger Williams in the final minute of the first half, until a Hawks offensive rebound led to a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left, giving Roger Williams a four-point 32-28 lead at the half and the momentum.

Western New England opened up the second half with far more energy than the first, playing at a faster pace and taking the ball to the hoop rather than settling for outside shots. The Golden Bears' defense ramped up its energy as well, forcing several turnovers that allowed the home team to pull within two points with about 9 minutes to go in the game.

Roger Williams was able to fight through the adversity, however, and build its lead back up to double digits by playing strong defense, and getting several uncontested layups that forced Western New England to call a timeout with 6 minutes and 16 seconds remaining, now trailing by 14 points.

The Hawks would eventually build their lead up to 19 points. For the game, the Golden Bears shot 38.5 percent (20-52) while the visiting Hawks shot at a slightly better clip of 45.8 (27-59).

Western New England will look to end its two-game slide Saturday at 1 p.m., when it plays host to visiting Mount Ida in a non-conference match-up. Roger Williams will be at Brandeis on Saturday.

- Release courtesy of the Western New England University Sports Information Department