QUINCY, Mass. – The Nichols College women's basketball team fell on the road to Eastern Nazarene College, 76-70, on Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action in Quincy, Mass.
 
Nichols drops to 3-11 and 1-7 in league games, while Eastern Nazarene improves to 8-7 and 2-6 in the CCC with the win. The Bison wrap up non-conference play on Thursday night when they host the Coast Guard Academy in a 7:00 p.m. game.
 
Junior Amy Assad made her return to the lineup and led the Bison with a game-high 22 points to go with four rebounds. Senior Allison Cerrato reached 20 points for the second-straight game while also adding eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Freshman Isabella Nerney hit three triples for nine points, while classmate Shannon St. Lawrence came off the bench to score eight points of her own. Sophomore Jessica Larsh handed out seven assists in the setback.
 
Four Eastern Nazarene players reached double-figures in scoring led by 21 points, 13 rebounds, and two steals from senior Michelle Detwiler. Senior Shelby Holmes netted 20 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists, while senior Kayla Torio added 17 points and six rebounds. Senior Jacquelin Arretche rounded out the top scorers with a double-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
 
The Bison fell into an early 8-2 hole until a triple from Nerney trimmed the deficit to 8-5 with 6:51 remaining in the opening quarter. After ENC's Kayla Torio knocked down a three to put the Lions back on top 11-5, Assad scored five-straight points to end the quarter and make it an 11-10 deficit after one period of play.
 
A three-pointer from Shelby Holmes ended a nearly four minute scoring drought for both teams to put the Lions back in front 14-10, but junior Mekaela Fithian-Giantonio knocked down a deep ball to keep the Bison within 14-13. Cerrato sandwiched baskets around a layup from Michelle Detwiler that kept Nichols within 18-17, but the Lions ended the second quarter on a 13-7 run to take a 31-24 lead into the half.
 
Eastern Nazarene jumped out to a 35-26 early in the third quarter, but an 11-0 run by the Bison, capped by five-straight points from Shannon St. Lawrence, gave Nichols its first lead of the game at 37-35 with 6:19 to play in the period. The Lions answered with four-straight point from Torio to take back the lead at 39-37, and St. Lawrence responded with another three-pointer to pull the Bison back in front, 40-39, with 4:19 remaining.
 
The Lions answered with another run, this time a 7-0 stretch, to grab a 46-40 advantage following a triple from Jacquelin Arretche. Assad ended the run with a layup with 1:54 to play, but ENC took a 49-44 lead into the final quarter.
 
Another layup inside from Assad made it a 49-46 deficit, and a jumper from the junior at the 8:34 mark made it a 51-48 game with 8:34 remaining. Nerney knocked down a three-pointer out of an ENC timeout to pull to 53-51, but Torio answered with a three-pointer of her own to keep the Lions in front 56-51. The two teams continued to trade baskets until back-to-back scores by the Lions put the home team in front 61-53 with 5:14 remaining.
 
A three-point play from Cerrato cut the deficit to 61-56, and another three from Nerney at the 3:07 mark made it a 67-61 game. Unfortunately for Nichols, the Bison were held scoreless over the next 2:27, until Assad scored seven points over the final 40 seconds to keep it interesting. However, Eastern Nazarene went 9-for-14 at the charity stripe down the stretch to pull away for the 76-70 win.
 
Nichols shot 41.1% (30-of-73) from the field, 32% (8-of-25) from beyond the arc, and knocked down both of its free throws in the defeat. Eastern Nazarene connected on 43.9% (25-of-57) of its shots, 36% (9-of-25) of its three-pointers, and 68% (17-of-25) of its free throws in the win. The Lions held a 46-33 advantage in rebounding, but committed 20 turnovers to just 12 for the Bison.
 
All-Time Series
Nichols and Eastern Nazarene met for the 41st time in program history on Tuesday night, and the Bison hold a 22-19 edge in the series. The Lions have won eight-straight and 12 of the last 13 meetings dating back to 2012.