DUDLEY, Mass. (11/15/23) - The Nichols College women's basketball team picked up a victory in its opening game of the 2023-24 season, as the Bison dominated Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 76-35 at the Nichols Athletic Center on Wednesday night.

Nichols opens the new season at 1-0 following the victory, while the Trailblazers fall to 0-3 with the loss.

Leading the way for the Bison was senior guard Summer Klein, as she posted a game-high 18 points along with five rebounds, and three steals. Fellow senior Abriana Vazquez contributed 16 points while seizing eight steals, while sophomore Adriana Romano completed the list of double figure performers with 11 points. The Bison shot 29-of-90 (32.2%) from the field, with 41 points scored from off the bench.

MCLA opened the scoring with a single free throw but would never lead again beyond that point. Nichols climbed ahead to a 9-3 edge in the first quarter thanks to consecutive strikes by Romano, which later grew to 11-5 off a shot by Klein in the paint. Following a slight push back by the Trailblazers, Nichols completed the opening 10 minutes with a close 15-13 lead in hand.

The opening minute of the second quarter went scoreless for both teams before MCLA tied the game at 15-all. The next two baskets would belong to the Bison on shots by Klein and sophomore Alyvia Smith, both off steals, which in turn played a part in a 14-4 run to help the hosts along to a 29-19 lead. At the break, the Bison led the Trailblazers by a 34-22 margin.

Coming out of the half, graduate Kiera Fernandes re-ignited the scoring with a three-pointer 56-seconds in. This set the tone for a third quarter opening 11-0 run by the Bison, which expanded their lead to 45-22 with five minutes left to play. As had been the case throughout the evening, the Bison continued to cash in on MCLA turnovers with 10 points scored in the frame, helping them to a 60-31 lead entering the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Nichols outscored MCLA 16-4 to account for the 76-35 lopsided victory. Through the full effort, MCLA committed 62 total turnovers as compared to the Bison's 26, resulting in a 53-7 points-off-turnovers difference.

The Bison will head north to the University of Maine-Farmington for a two-day tournament beginning Friday, November 17^th at 7:00 PM against the host Beavers at Dearborn Gymnasium.