Nichols 65, Mitchell 50
Dudley, Mass. – Nichols Athletic Center
Thursday, December 10, 2015
All-Time Series & Streaks
Nichols improves to 4-0 all-time against the Mariners with tonight's win.
Three Stars of the Game
1) Mitchell senior Diamond Thomas (Hartford, Conn.) – recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and two assists in 25 minutes before fouling out
2) Nichols freshman Mekaela Fithian-Giantonio (Plainville, Conn.) – filled the stat sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals
3) Nichols sophomore Allison Cerrato (Rockland, Mass.) – registered seven points, 10 rebounds, four steals and one blocked shot
Junior Taylor Daniels (Dudley, Mass.) led four Nichols student-athletes in double figures with 17 points as the Bison earned their first win of the season, a 65-50 triumph over non-conference opponent Mitchell. Junior Julia Zawacki (Waterford, Conn.) came off the bench to provide nine rebounds, four points and three blocks in just 16 minutes.
Key Stat of the Game
Nichols recorded 17 steals and scored 17 fast-break points.
Turning Point
Nichols opened the second quarter on a 15-0 run to turn a 20-15 deficit into a 30-20 lead. Mitchell fought back and took the lead in the third before a free throw from Zawacki put Nichols in front for good with 3:52 to go in the third. Nichols then used an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a 59-48 lead and secure the win, capped by a three from Fithian-Giantonio.
Quick Hits
-Nichols was outrebounded 52-47 – including 22-15 on the offensive end – but forced 26 turnovers, led by sophomore Brooke Packard (Dudley, Mass.) with five steals. She also had 10 first-half points.
-The Bison defense held the Mariners to just 21 percent shooting in the second half (7-fo-33). Mitchell also struggled from the charity stripe, knocking in just 6-of-14 (43 percent).
-Freshman Kristina Domantas (Holden, Mass.) recorded four points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots for NC.
-Senior Amanda Garcia (New Britain, Conn.) finished with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals for Mitchell.
-Daniels also finished with three of Nichols' 10 blocked shots.
-The Bison sank 76 percent of their free throw attempts (16-of-21).
"The most important aspect of tonight's win was that we had many different student-athletes contribute offensively. That's what kept us in the game. We also played a lot more composed down the stretch than we have the last few games. I was proud of how mature we played. This is a big win going into the second half." –Nichols head coach Alice Mullen
Next up
Nichols (1-7) – Saturday, January 2 @ Johnson & Wales (RI), 2:00 p.m.
Mitchell (1-5) – Monday, January 4 @ Connecticut Col., 7:00 p.m.