Nor'easters coast to quarterfinal win over Golden Bears

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Senior Carrie Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) and junior Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) combined for 40 points to lead the second-seeded University of New England Nor'easters to a 68-56 victory over No. 7 Western New England College in quarterfinal round action of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship played Tuesday evening at the Campus Center.

Big Blue (20-6) advances to host sixth-seeded Roger Williams University (a 73-68 upset winner over No. 3 Colby-Sawyer College) in the semifinals on Thursday. The Golden Bears conclude their season at 14-12 overall.

Bunnell netted a game-high 22 points to lead the UNE attack -- 16 of which came before halftime on 5-of-7 shooting and three treys. Paradis added 18 in support, to go with seven rebounds and four blocks.

Senior Chelsey Meszaros (North Clarendon, Vt.), juniors Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) and Kari Pelletier (South Paris, Maine), and sophomore Beth Suggs (Bath, Maine) each tallied seven points to complete the scoring for the Nor'easters.

For WNEC, sophomore Emily Savino (Ellington, Conn.) posted a team-high 11 points and had four assists. First-year Ali Pessolano (Hampden, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points, while sophomore Shelby Van Huysen (Killingworth, Conn.) contributed nine. Junior Sarah Proper (Coxsackie, N.Y.) pulled down a game-best 12 boards.

With the score tied 11-11 midway through the first half, UNE reeled off the next 15 points over a 3:06 span to assume control of the contest. Bunnell tallied 11 points during the deciding run.

The Golden Bears rallied to within four just before the halftime buzzer, but Pelletier canned a three-pointer with five seconds left in the frame to put the hosts up, 34-27, at the break.

Big Blue still held a seven-point cushion (49-42) with 7:39 to play, before five quick points from Paradis and a layup by Suggs extended the margin to double digits and put the game out-of-reach. The win was the fifth straight for the Nor'easters' over WNEC.

UNE came away victorious in its only meeting of the season against Roger Williams, exploding for 56 second-half points in a 91-66 decision back on February 5 in Biddeford. Tip-off for Thursday's semifinal match is set for 7 p.m.