BIDDEFORD, Maine — The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team dropped a 68–42 decision to the University of New England on Saturday afternoon in Conference of New England (CNE) action.
UNE set the tone early, shooting efficiently in the opening half and building a 42–13 advantage at the break. Roger Williams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first two quarters, shooting 20 percent from the field while UNE connected at a 64.3 percent clip over the same span.
Roger Williams showed renewed energy coming out of halftime, outscoring UNE 17–11 in the third quarter behind improved ball movement and aggressive play on the glass. The Hawks continued to compete in the fourth, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome as UNE maintained control through the last quarter.
Lilli Clark (Willimantic, Conn.) led RWU with a game-high 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting and added eight rebounds. Maia Riccio (Cranston, R.I.) provided a spark off the bench with six points, while Ava Azzaro (Northampton, Mass.) added three points with two rebounds and a block. The Hawks received 23 points from their bench and finished with 14 second-chance points.
Overall, RWU shot 28.3 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from three-point range, while converting 61.5 percent from the free-throw line. Defensively, the Hawks forced 16 turnovers and held a 35–31 rebounding edge, but UNE capitalized with 23 points off turnovers and 13 fast-break points.
UNE was led by Emily Picher with 13 points off the bench. Sydney Jenisch chipped in nine points, three rebounds, and a steal. The Nor'easters shot 48.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, using balanced scoring and transition offense to secure the win.
Roger Williams (12-8, 8-3 CNE) will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 3 when they host Endicott at 5:30pm in the Campus Recreation Center, before heading to Western New England on Wednesday, Feb. 11. UNE (10-9, 8-2 CNE) will head out on the road headed to Gordon on Tuesday, Feb. 3 and then to Hartford on Saturday, Feb. 7.
