FARMINGTON, Maine (11/17/23) – In their first road matchup of the season, the Nichols College women's basketball team overcame a first half deficit to outlast the University of Maine-Farmington by a score of 93-88 at Dearborn Gymnasium on Friday night.

The win moves the Bison to 2-0 on the year, while the Beavers slip to 1-4 following the loss.

Four Bison scored in double figures, led by 20-point performances from senior Abriana Vazquez and graduate Kiera Fernandes. Sophomores Alyvia Smith and Adriana Romano also matched each other on the score sheet, scoring 12 points apiece, with Romano additionally chalking-up a team-high eight assists. On the night, the Bison shot 38.7% (36-of-93) from the field and scored 49 points off UMaine turnovers.

The Bison faced early odds as the Beavers opened the contest with a 15-4 lead. Consecutive makes from Summer Klein and Kiera Fernandes helped bring the Bison to within seven points of the Beavers, but the difference would grow to 13 points in favor of the Beavers at the end of the opening quarter.

As the two teams continued to battle it out in the second, Nichols struggled to narrow the deficit and found themselves trailing by a 37-23 margin with 3:44 left to play in the half. From that point, Nichols quickly kicked things up a notch and charged back into the game with  a 12-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Fernandes and Smith. At the half, it was suddenly a new game between the Bison and the Beavers, with Nichols trailing 43-39.

Nichols snagged the first four points of the third quarter to tie the game at 43-all, before later taking back the lead for the first time since the early stages of the opening quarter on a three-pointer by Vazquez, 49-47. The lead continued to swap through the midway point of the quarter up until a 14-1 run saw the Bison climb ahead 67-54. Entering the final frame, the Bison maintained an 11-point edge, leading 75-64.

UMaine-Farmington opened the final quarter with an and-one on a made layup, but Nichols matched it shortly after with another three-pointer. Over the course of the frame, the Beavers slowly chipped away at the difference to bring themselves to within eight points of the Bison, only to then make it a one-point game with six unanswered points at 89-88. Through the final 30 seconds of the game, Nichols would outlast the Beavers with defensive stops and trips to the free throw line, winning by the 93-88 score.

It's a quick turnaround for Nichols women's basketball, who will not have to travel very far for a matchup with UMaine-Presque Isle on Saturday, November 18^th at 1:00 PM right back at Dearborn Gymnasium.