FARMINGTON, Maine (11/18/23) – The Nichols College women's basketball team settled for a split between two University of Maine programs, as a slow start on Sunday afternoon yielded a 106-88 loss against UMaine-Presque Isle at Dearborn Gymnasium.

Both teams move to 2-1 overall on the season with their respective result, with the loss coming as the first of the season for the Bison.

Alyvia Smith led the Bison offense with 19 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field. Summer Klein went 7-of-13 in shooting for 16 points, while Abrianna Vazquez contributed 13 points with four helpers. Leandra Ortiz rounded out the double-figure scoring for Nichols, as she added 10 points and a team-high four rebounds. As a team, Nichols shot 33-of-94 (35.1%).

The Bison's only lead in the game came in the first quarter, which was by one point at 9:23. From there, the rest of the quarter belonged to UMPI, who used a 13-0 run to help hold a 28-6 lead after 10-minutes of action.  

Another 6-0 run by the Owls to start the second put the Bison further behind by a 34-6 score, but Nichols eventually found their groove later on in the period. Beginning at the 3:08 mark, a three-pointer by Alyvia Smith spearheaded Nichols' largest run of the game at 6-0, which helped limit the damage nearing halftime. At the intermission, however, the host Owls still maintained a 20-point lead over the guests with a score of 57-37.

UMPI continued to start strong out of the intermission with a 7-0 run to begin the third, bringing the score to 64-37. Down the stretch, Nichols delivered a more balanced attack that saw 28 points scored, but the Owls continued to match them at the other end of the court with 29 of their own. To close out the quarter, Nichols was able to string together a 9-0 run in under a minute of action, but still trailed the Owls by 19 points at the buzzer.

The fourth frame was the only one where the Bison outscored the Owls, which was by a close 22-21 margin. Despite the stronger second half by the Bison, the Owls emerged triumphant by the 106-88 final score.

The Bison will have a few days off before they return home to the Nichols Athletic Center on Tuesday, November 21^st for a 6:00 PM showdown with Eastern Nazarene College (4-0, 0-0 NEC).