HARRISVILLE, R.I. – The Nichols College women's basketball team was defeated by the University of New England 66-50 Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action at Harold Alfond Arena.

Senior captain Amber Litwinko (Berlin, Conn.) paced the Bison (6-17, 3-13 CCC) with 12 points to go along with nine boards, five assists, and three steals. Freshman Brooke Packard (Dudley, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and three steals while senior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) dropped in nine off the bench.

UNE (19-4, 15-1 CCC) junior Meghan Gribbin (Windham, Maine) scored 13 of her game-high 15 points before halftime as the Nor'easters ran their win streak over the Bison to 11. UNE also pushed its home court win streak in conference play to 42 games.

Gribbin made all three of her 3-point attempts and each of her four free throw attempts en route to her 15 points. She added five assists. Sophomore center Alicia Brown (Greenland, N.H.) had 13 points and three blocked shots while senior forward Kelly Coleman (Portland, Conn.) added 12 points. Junior guard Lauren Hayden (Chantilly, Va.) collared eight rebounds and came up with five steals, and sophomore forward Brooke Flaherty (Portland, Maine) scored nine points and grabbed five boards off the bench.

With the score tied at 12 less than eight minutes into the game, UNE went on a 17-4 run over the ensuing 8:10 to establish a 29-16 advantage. Gribbin scored the final eight points of the spurt – including a pair of treys – to help the Nor'easters open up its cushion. The Nor'easters led 36-25 at intermission, shooting 52 percent (12-of-23) from the floor and 63 percent (5-of-8) from beyond the arc.

UNE maintained a double-digit advantage the entire second frame, with the lead fluctuating between 11 and 19 points.

For the game, the Nor'easters shot 45 percent (21-of-47), compared to 32 percent (17-of-53) accuracy for the Bison. UNE also held a 41-28 margin on the glass.

Nichols hosts Eastern Nazarene Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. UNE entertains Curry on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.