Springfield, Mass. - November 17, 2015 - The Springfield College women's basketball team rallied from a late seven-point deficit to force overtime and held on for a 70-65 win over Western New England on Tuesday evening Blake Arena.

Springfield improved to 1-0 on the season, while the Golden Bears dropped to 1-2.

Ava Adamopoulos (Ludlow, Mass.) was dominant off the bench for the Pride, pouring in 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds.  Heather Lewis (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) was especially efficient, pouring in 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Lexi Windwer (Milton, Mass.) added 12 points, and Heather King (Lebanon, N.H.) finished the night with eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

For Western New England, Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) led all scorers with 21 points, while Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) produced 15 points, going 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.  Both Vujs and Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) handed out six assists each.

Springfield owned the glass, holding a 53-39 edge on the glass, including an 18-8 cushion on the offensive boards.  Springfield made the most of their opportunities, converting 15 second-chance points compared to just two for the visitors.

Springfield benefited from seven first-quarter points by Adamopoulos and owned a 19-12 advantage after the first 10 minutes of action.  The Pride's lead would expand to as much as 11, using a pair of Adamopoulos free throws to open up a 23-12 cushion with 8:51 remaining in the half.   Western New England would answer with an 8-2 push, knocking down a pair from beyond the arc, to close within 25-20.  A triple from Windwer would give Springfield an eight-point lead, but the Golden Bears would score the final four points of the half to head into the half trailing 28-23.  Springfield owned the paint in the opening 20 minutes of play, outscoring the visitors 14-0.

The visiting Golden Bears controlled the third quarter, outscoring Springfield by a 21-10 margin to 44-38 lead.  Vujs dominated the 10 minute frame, scoring 11 points, including six in the final 2:08 as the visitors took a six-point lead into the final quarter.

A deep three from Anderson with 3:20 left in regulation pushed WNE's lead to 55-48, only to have Springfield put together a 7-2 push after a trifecta from Windwer with 1:34 on the clock made it a one possession game.  The teams would trade two free throws each before WNE missed two free throws with 19 seconds left and the Pride called a timeout.  Out of the break, Lewis got free on the baseline and knocked down a pull up jumper with seven seconds left to force overtime. 

In the overtime session, Lewis buried a jumper on Springfield's opening possession of overtime to give the hosts a lead it would not relinquish.  The Pride led by as much as six in the extra frame and would hold on for the 70-65 non-league win.