WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Off to their best start since the 2019-20 season, Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Basketball's quest to begin the year 3-0 was thwarted at home by Western New England University inside the Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium, as the Warriors' two-game winning streak was snapped with a 68-62 defeat at the hands of the Golden Bears on Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard Sophie Hedge paced the Western New England offense with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double, shooting 7-for-18 (38.8%), including 2-for-9 (22.2%) from three, in 38 minutes as a starter. However, early on, it was sophomore guard Lottia Barnes and sophomore forward Olivia Chrzan doing the damage for the Golden Bears, giving them a quick 5-0 lead in the first three minutes and change before the Warriors' first basket from senior guard
Gabriella Kufuor at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter. That would be the start of an 8-1 run by Eastern, as five consecutive points by sophomore guard
Maddie Topa gave the home team their first lead of the affair, 8-7.
Topa jump-started a quarter-ending 10-0 run by the Warriors, as senior guard Naveah Clark tacked on five points during that blitz, leading Eastern to a five-point lead heading into the second quarter, 18-13. Clark ended the game leading the team with 15 points in 26 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-for-11 (45.4%) from the field, and hitting half her threes (3-for-6), while snagging six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Eastern would hold the lead for only a little while in the early part of the second as the Golden Bears responded with an 11-0 run while trailing by five, taking their largest lead at the time, six points, 26-20, before a three from Clark broke it up.
That three at the 5:26 mark began a stretch of three-plus minutes in which neither team would score, before two free throws from senior guard
Paige Fourtin broke the drought and started a stretch of six straight points for the Ansonia native, helping the Warriors jump back in front by four, 30-26, behind that 9-0 run. However, a final-minute run again by the Golden Bears put them ahead into halftime, 32-30, on a buzzer-beater jumper by Chrzan.
The lead would only swing back in favor of the Warriors one more time the rest of the game as Topa's three-point play to start the third gave her team a one-point lead, 33-32, which was met with an 8-0 run by Western New England to turn the tide back in their favor for good. Despite pulling within one point twice in the fourth, 52-51, after a three from Clark with 7:26 remaining in regulation, as well as a three from Fourtin, 58-57, with 6:32 remaining. But the comeback attempt would fall just short as Western New England went on a 6-0 run, led by four points from senior forward Katie Regan, to regain a seven-point edge, 64-57, riding that momentum to the six-point victory, 68-62.
Beyond the 22 points from Hedge, Regan would score 15 points on 7-for-11 (63.6%) shooting off the bench in 22 minutes of action, while Chrzan was the only other double-digit point scorer for the Golden Bears with 11 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes. As for the Warriors, they were led by Clark's 15 points, followed by a season-high 14 points from Fourtin on 5-for-7 (71.4%) shooting, hitting both of her threes off the bench, while Topa also had 14 points on 5-for-12 (41.6%) shooting, making 3-of-6 (50%) from three.
Eastern heads to the 607 Classic next week in Oneonta, New York, taking on Hartwick College on Friday at 7:00 PM before facing SUNY Oneonta on Saturday at noon.
