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Emily Farrell scored 18 points for the Golden Bears against SUNY Cortland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. (Photo by Rachael Margossian)
Emily Farrell scored 18 points for the Golden Bears against SUNY Cortland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. (Photo by Rachael Margossian)

Women’s Basketball Falls to SUNY Cortland in First Round of NCAA Tournament

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 6, 2020) – The Western New England University women's basketball team fell to SUNY Cortland, 72-66, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday evening at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Top Performers
Senior Beth Bonin (Cicero, N.Y.) led the Red Dragons with 31 points. Freshman Nyia Longford (Medford, N.Y.) scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds for Cortland.

Senior Emily Farrell (New Fairfield, Conn.) scored 18 points for the Golden Bears. Senior Meghan Orbann (East Hampton, Conn.) had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Courtney Carlson (Woodbury, Conn.) scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. 

Game Review
Both teams traded baskets in the early going. With the score at 7-7, the Red Dragons went on a 14-2 scoring run over the course of three minutes to go up 21-9. A layup from Longford midway through the second quarter gave Cortland a 16 point lead, their largest of the evening.

The Golden Bears stormed back, going on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit down to four with one minute remaining in the half. A layup from Longford early in the third quarter pushed the Red Dragons lead back up to nine. Sophomore Julia Quinn (Thomaston, Conn.) hit a three-pointer midway through the third quarter to cut the deficit down to one.

A pair of free throws from Bonin towards the end of the third quarter pushed the Cortland lead back up to 10, when they went up 50-40. The Red Dragons pushed their lead back to 12 with just under three minutes remaining in the game. Back-to-back three pointers from Quinn with under 30 seconds left cut the lead down to four, but Bonin converted crucial free throws down the stretch to hold onto the win.

Notes
• Western New England held a 41-37 rebounding advantage.