SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Roger Williams University women's basketball team fell to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Western New England, 47-46, as the Golden Bears mounted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter.
 
This is the first loss for the Hawks against Western New England since Nov. 30 2019, a 60-49 loss in Springfield. Roger Williams was on a seven-game winning streak against the Golden Bears since picking up a Jan. 28, 2020 victory in the Campus Rec Center. The game is tied for the closest margin of victory for either team, and drops Roger Williams record against Western New England to 19-25 all-time.
 
Roger Williams shots 16-45 (35.6%) from the floor, while holding Western New England to 15-51 (29.4%) on field goal attempts. The Golden Bears had five threes in the contest to Roger Williams three, and out rebounded the Hawks, 42-31. The Golden Bears out rebounded the Hawks 17-10 on the offensive glass.
 
Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) had 16 points for the visitors, with Chloe Richardson (Norwell, Mass.) and Katie Galligan (Pembroke, Mass.) each adding 11 points apiece. Elizabeth Dufrane (Falls Church, Va.) and Reese Cordero (Whitman, Mass.) also added points for Roger Williams. Lilli Clark (Willimantic, Conn.) had a pair of steals and four rebounds, while Coppola led with six boards.
 
For the Golden Bears, Emma Novajaksy led with a game-high 17 points, with a 6-11 shooting performance, while pulling down seven rebounds. Lilly Hedge had four points, a block and a steal, along with 12 rebounds. Shaina Cooney had seven points with eight rebound and a pair of assists.
 
Roger Williams opened up the contest with Richardson recording the first bucket, off a layup 1:06 into the contest. The Golden Bears responded on the following possession with a layup of their own by Shaina Cooney.
 
The two teams were even at 5-5 in the first quarter, before The Hawks went on a stretch that saw them outscore Western New England, 6-3. The Golden Bears were able to take an 12-11 lead with 32 remaining in the opening frame, but Codero finished both free throw attempts at the line to take a 13-12 lead heading into the second.
 
The Hawks came out in the second quarter, 10 points of the quarter, jumping out to a 11-point lead with 2:05 remaining in the half, but the Golden Bears got a bucket at the end, with Lilly Hedge hitting a jumper, while trailing by 11 with two seconds remaining, cutting the Hawks lead back down to 9.
 
In the third the Hawks outscored Western New England 13-12, leading 38-28 after 30 minutes. In the opening 3:20, the Golden Bears went on a 6-2 run, cutting the lead down to six. After a made free throw, Novajasky knocked down a three, cutting the Hawks lead down even further to four with 4:41 remaining.
 
With 2:32 on the clock in the fourth Western New England, continued to cut into the lead with another three, this time by Paige Winter. Galligan scored on a layup to extend the Hawks lead back to three, but the Golden Bears responded by scoring seven straight points, including a three by Novajasky, to take the lead for good, completing the comeback.
 
Roger Williams (11-7, 7-3 CCC) will host Curry on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1:00 pm for Senior Day in the Campus Rec Center.  They will then take part in their second battle of the Hawks on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 5:30 pm at the University of Hartford. Roger Williams will then round out the week on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Gordon.