WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (11/29/23) - In a hard-fought battle that ended in a four-point difference, the Nichols College women's basketball team fell to the Commonwealth Coast Conference's newest member the University of Hartford , 90-86, on Wednesday night at Chase Family Arena.
The bout was considered a non-conference affair, with both teams moving to 3-2 overall records with the result.
In her return to the lineup, senior Abriana Vazquez led Nichols with season-best 27 points on 9-of-22 (40.9%) shooting, along with three rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Graduate Kiera Fernandes tallied 19 points with six rebounds, while fellow fifth-year Leandra Ortiz contributed 11 points of her own. Sophomore Adriana Romano also posted double-digits with 10 points. As a team, the Bison seized every opportunity with 48 points scored off Hartford turnovers.
Vazquez made the game's opening bucket for the Bison 19-seconds into the action, which quickly was followed up by an Angie Coletti layup off a clutch steal to make it 4-0 Bison. The Hawks returned fire with the next four points to tie the score, which then translated into back-and-forth action as both teams were excellent in their respective offensive ends. With Nichols leading 15-14 late, a three pointer with 35-seconds gave the Hawks the slight advantage entering the second quarter by a score of 17-15.
After the Bison opened with a 6-2 run, Hartford responded with a 5-0 run with 5:56 left in the second quarter to take an 24-22 lead. The Bison then added consecutive free throws to tie the score at 24-all, but the Hawks ultimately maintained the lead the rest of the quarter and entered halftime leading 39-34.
Out of the locker room, Nichols rallied to erase their deficit behind an 8-2 run but failed to stop the ensuing Hawk response which resulted in a 48-44 lead. From there, the offensive floodgates opened for the Hawks, who grew their lead to as much as 10-points with a 14-4 run. The score remained a seven-point difference in favor of the host Hawks at 64-57 through 30-minutes played.
The Bison made things uncomfortable for the Hawks in the fourth, pulling to within two points with 1:36 left to play. However, Hartford eventually edged ahead in the waning seconds, leaving the Bison behind 90-86 at the final buzzer.
The Bison will return to the Nichols Athletic Center this coming Saturday, December 2nd as they get set to host Curry College (4-1, 0-0 CCC) for their first official in-conference matchup of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for a 1:00 PM start.