BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team defeated the University of New England, 64-52, in a Conference of New England Matchup on Saturday afternoon in the Campus Rec Center Gymnasium.
The Hawks shot 33.3 percent from the floor, hitting only two three-pointers throughout the contest, and converting 24-of-28 free throw attempts at the line. The Hawks defense held the Nor'easters to 29.7 percent on their field goal opportunities, while knocking down four shots from long range.
Chloe Richardson (Norwell, Mass.) had 16 points with four rebounds, with two three pointers, while making all eight shots from the line.
Meg Qualey (Woburn, Mass.) recorded 13 points with 10 rebounds for the first double-double of her collegiate career.
Lilli Clark (Willimantic, Conn.) and
Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) each finished with double-figure points, scoring 12 and 10, respectively, while Coppola pulled down 11 rebounds with two blocks and a steal.
For UNE, Sydney Jenisch was tied for the team lead in points and steals with 12 and two, respectively, with Gabby Soter, who added six rebounds, tied for the team-high, while shooting an efficient 4-for-6 from the floor.
The Hawks opened the game with an 8-2 lead after converting a jumper with 4:43 remaining in the opening quarter. The Nor'easters came back to within two with a driving layup by Paige Meda, before Roger Williams closed out the quarter with a 5-0 run to end the quarter with a 15-6 lead.
The Hawks picked up where they left off in the second quarter, pushing the run to 12-0, after
Ava Azzaro (Northampton, Mass.) finished a layup with 2:55 into the second quarter, taking a 16-point lead. The Nor'easters trailed 26-12, but closed out the final 2:02 of the half on a 10-4 run to trail by eight at the half.
In the third quarter, the Nor'easters were able to outscore the Hawks 19-14. Down by nine, Jenisch drilled a three-pointer with 7:37 remaining to cut the deficit to six. Kaia Anderson and Ella Karavanic each added a bucket, surrounding a three by Richardson. Trailing by two with 2:16 remaining, a miss by Blanchard on her second of two shots at the line was grabbed by Meda, who then dished back to Blanchard, who leveled the score.
With the score tied with 1:11 remaining in the third, Qualey sparked a 4-1 stretch to end the frame, with a 44-41 lead. Roger Williams expanded their lead back out to eight with Coppola finishing on a layup with 8:04 remaining in regulation, before UNE was able to come back to five, but the Hawks were able to convert their next nine of their final 10 free throw attempts to seal the victory.
Roger Williams (5-4, 2-1 CNE) will be off until Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 6:00 pm when they take on Bates at the WPI Tournament, before facing off against the hosts on Wednesday, Dec. 31, to round out the 2025 portion of their schedule. The Hawks will open 2026 on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 1:00 pm when they host Wentworth in CNE action.
