DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College women's basketball team fell to the visiting Western New England University, 64-53, on Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Nichols Athletic Center in Dudley, Mass.
 
The Bison drop to 3-7 overall and 1-3 in the CCC with the setback, while the Golden Bears improve to 7-4 and 3-1 in conference games. Nichols looks to bounce back on Tuesday night when they travel to Curry College for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Nichols was led by 19 points from sophomore Jessica Larsh, who went a perfect 10-for-10 at the charity stripe, and added three rebounds and two assists. Freshman Beth Laing chipped in 10 points off the bench, while classmate Isabella Nerney added eight points and seven rebounds.
 
Western New England had three players reach double-figures in scoring, with senior Dorothy O'Neill and freshman Emily Scurka leading the way with 15 points apiece. O'Neill added four assists and scored her 1,000th career point, while Scurka recorded seven rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Sophomore Meghan Orbann was the final player in double digits with 12 points to go with five rebounds.
 
Nichols opened the game on a 7-0 run as junior Mekaela Fithan-Giantonio sandwiched baskets around a Jessica Larsh three-pointer with 7:50 to play. The Golden Bears answered with a 13-2 run that spilled over into the second quarter until Larsh ended the stretch with a pair of free throws and 8:41 remaining.
 
Senior Brittany Donovan kept it a 15-13 game with a jumper from the top of the key, but Western New England kept up the pressure, eventually building a 30-15 advantage following a triple from O'Neill. Isabella Nerneyentered the scoring column with a jumper, and following a Golden Bears basket, Nerney connected from beyond the arc to trim it to a 32-20 deficit inside the final minute. 
 
Western New England's Orbann rolled home a layup in the waning seconds of the half to give the Golden Bears a 34-20 lead at the break.
 
Nichols continued to chip away and a basket from Larsh followed by three free throws from Nerney made it a 34-25 game with 9:00 to play. The Golden Bears answered with a run of their own as a three from O'Neill gave Western New England its largest lead of the game at 41-25. The Bison would not go away quietly, however, as a 6-0 run by Nichols at the end of the quarter pulled Nichols to within 46-37, and the Bison trailed 48-37 after three periods.
 
Nichols carried the momentum into the fourth quarter as a 6-2 run by the Bison, all at the free throw line, made it a 50-43 game with 7:38 remaining. Five quick points from the Golden Bears extended the lead back to 55-43, and the Bison would only get as close as nine following a layup from Beth Laing with 4:36 to play as the Golden Bears kept the Bison at bay to hold on for the win.
 
The Bison connected on 33.3% (16-of-48) of their shots in the game, hitting 2-of-12 (16.7%) of their threes, and 19-of-20 (95%) of their free throws. Western New England shot 46.9% (24-of-49) from the field, 33.3% (5-of-15) from beyond the arc, and only 52% (13-of-25) at the free throw line. The Golden Bears won the rebounding battle, 39-25, but committed 15 turnovers to just 13 for the Bison.
 
All-Time Series
Saturday marked the 47th meeting between the two programs and the Golden Bears lead the all-time series, 29-18.