Statistics

BIDDEFORD, Maine – Behind a 20-point performance from Sophia Coppola, Roger Williams was able to close out a 70-63 victory over the University of New England women's basketball team in Saturday afternoon's Conference of New England meeting on Coach Beaudry's Court inside the Harold Alfond Forum.
 
UNE (6-7, 3-3 CNE) trailed by as many as 17 in the third quarter before trimming the Hawks' lead to 59-56 midway through the fourth, but strong free throw shooting down the stretch allowed Roger Williams (8-5, 5-1 CNE) to fend off the Nor'easters' late push. 
 
In addition to Coppola's game-high scoring effort, the Hawks also received double-digit showings from Chloe Richardson (15) and Meg Qualey (14). Lilli Clark dominated the boards, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Gabby Soter led the Nor'easters with 12 points, while Faye Veilleux added 10, and Kaia Anderson and Maddy Werner chipped in with eight apiece.
 
UNE suffered a slow start, going 5-for-16 from the field during the first quarter, eventually trailing the Hawks, 22-12, at the end of the frame. The Nor'easters began to hit their stride on the offensive end in the second quarter, shooting better than 40 percent (7-for-16), to salvage a 35-28 halftime deficit.
 
Roger Williams' 10-1 run in the third quarter, which had UNE facing a 54-37 deficit with three minutes remaining, was capped off by Elizabeth Dufrane's second triple of the game. Jaylyn Bartolome's 3-pointer was part of UNE's response in the stanza's final minutes that put the Nor'easters nearly within single digits, 54-43, entering the fourth.
 
With UNE scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter, Soter capped off the Nor'easters' hot start with a fastbreak layup to bring the hosts within four (54-50), the closest they had been since the second quarter. With 4:50 left to play, it was another Bartolome bucket that trimmed Roger Williams' lead to 59-56, but that was as close as UNE would come as the Hawks consistently found the answer at the charity stripe, scoring nine of their last 11 points at the line to finish 15-for-21 on the day to the Nor'easters' 7-for-16.

UNE is set to hit the road for two straight, starting with a trip to Curry on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.