DUDLEY, Mass. – Senior captain Amber Litwinko (Berlin, Conn.) scored a game-high 21 points in Nichols College's 69-59 loss to Western New England Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Senior captain Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) added 11 points and four assists for the Bison (5-16, 2-12 CCC). Freshman Allison Cerrato (Rockland, Mass.) scored seven points while senior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) finished with six points.

Sophomore Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.) led three Golden Bears (13-8, 8-6 CCC) student-athletes in double-figures with 14 points. Freshman Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with 13 points, five dimes, and three rebounds while sophomore Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) tallied 10 points and five rebounds.

WNE opened up a quick 9-2 lead behind four points from senior Sam McCann (Warren, Mass.). O'Neill rattled home her second triple of the half at 8:40 to push the Golden Bears lead to 12 (22-10), then a layup form Battaini 90 seconds later made it a 15-point game.

The visitors shot 50 percent from the field and settled into a 37-24 halftime lead behind 10 from O'Neill. The Bison were led by Litwinko with eight.  WNE also outrebounded Nichols 20-12 through the first 20 minutes.

Baskets by McCann and Olsen to open the second half gave the Golden Bears an 18-point lead before Nichols began to chip away. A jumper from junior Jessica Kelliher (Marshfield, Mass.), followed by a layup from Litwinko, cut the Bison's deficit to 14 before a three from sophomore Taylor Daniels (Dudley, Mass.) made it an 11-point game at 44-33.

Litwinko sank a layup to cut the WNE lead to single digits at 44-33, but two free throws from sophomore Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) got the Golden Bears lead back to 14 with 11:54 to go. Over the next six minutes, Nichols climbed to within nine points on three different occasions and eight points once after Litwinko banged in a triple with 6:40 on the clock.

WNE moved back in front by 12 with five to go, and the closest the Bison got down the stretch was 65-57 following a pair of free throws from freshman Brooke Packard (Dudley, Mass.). The Golden Bears finished the afternoon shooting 45 percent (24-of-53), and they also made 18 of their 27 free throw attempts. The Bison canned 42 percent of their shots and went 11-of-14 from the line.

The Bison head to Beverly, Mass. for a 7:30 p.m. contest with Endicott on Tuesday. The Golden Bears host Wentworth Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.