DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College women's basketball team dropped its season opener to WPI, 60-33, on Tuesday night in non-conference action at the Nichols Athletic Center in Dudley, Mass.
 
Senior Allison Cerrato and graduate student Brittany Donovan paced Nichols with eight points apiece. Donovan added six rebounds and an assist, while Cerrato pulled in a pair of boards of her own. Sophomore Jessica Larsh chipped in seven points, while freshman Desiree Rivera came off the bench to pull down a team-best seven rebounds.
 
WPI was led by 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and six steals from senior Ama Biney. Senior Madison Beck added 16 points, six rebounds and three steals, while freshman Maddie Blake chipped in eight points and four rebounds.
 
The Engineers shot 23-of-56 (41.1%) from the field compared to 12-of-49 (24.5%) shooting for the Bison on the night. WPI held a 42-35 advantage in rebounding, while they also only committed 14 turnovers to 23 for Nichols.
 
The Bison opened up an early 4-2 lead following a Donovan free throw with just over six minutes to play in the first quarter, but WPI ended the period on a 10-2 run to take a 12-6 lead after one quarter. The Engineers outscored Nichols 11-1 in the second quarter and took a 23-7 lead into the break.
 
Nichols turned up the offense in the third quarter as the team scored 16 points from five different players, including six points from Larsh, but still trailed WPI 44-23 at the end of three periods. WPI maintained its lead in the final quarter to pull out the 60-33 victory.
 
All-Time Series
Tuesday night's matchup was the 31st meeting between the two programs dating back to 1981, and the Engineers hold a 25-6 advantage in the series.
 
Next Games
Nichols (0-1) – Monday, Nov. 27 at Anna Maria, 6:00 p.m.
WPI (3-0) – Saturday, Nov. 25 vs. Bates, 2:00 p.m.