Brackett, Harden play final game for Seahawks

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 23, 2016) – The second seeded Western New England University women's basketball team outscored seventh seeded Salve Regina University by a combined 24 points in the first and fourth quarters, securing a 60-51 victory this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

With the win, Western New England (17-9, 13-5 CCC) advances to Thursday's CCC semifinals to take on third seeded Roger Williams University, which posted a 71-57 victory over Eastern Nazarene tonight. Salve Regina drops to 10-16 (9-9 CCC) with the loss.

The Golden Bears, who raced out to a 21-4 advantage after one quarter of play and led by as many as 19 early in the second period, saw their lead disappear midway through the third quarter as Salve Regina tied the score at 33. Western New England responded with an 8-0 run, however, and held the Seahawks off the rest of the way to advance to the CCC semifinals for the second consecutive season.

Senior forward Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) led the way for the Golden Bears, posting her ninth double-double of the season (35th career) with 18 points, ten rebounds, five steals and two assists. The CCC Player of the Year reached 900 career rebounds and 1300 career points in the process, passing Lisa Masella '06 for seventh place on the program's all-time scoring list.

Junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point distance to go with five rebounds, despite playing just 13 minutes due to foul trouble. Classmate Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) rounded out Western New England's three double-figure scorers with ten points, three steals and two rebounds, while sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) added nine points and three assists.

Senior guard Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) paced the visiting Seahawks with a game-high 23 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists, but turned the ball over ten times. Junior center Jillian Woodward (Orono, Maine) totaled 11 points and six boards, while senior Madelyn Brackett (Coopersville, Mich.) and sophomore Allyson Esielionis (Shirley, Mass.) combined for ten points and 17 rebounds.

The Golden Bears shot just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from the field, but connected on 43.8 percent (7-of-16) of their three-point attempts and turned the ball over just ten times. Salve Regina finished with a 32.6 shooting percentage (15-of-46), hitting just 4-of-17 (23.5%) treys while turning the ball over 22 times.