DUDLEY, Mass. (1/23/24) - Three starters scored in double figures for the Nichols College women's basketball team, as the Bison picked up a 100-89 win over the University of Hartford on a snowy Wednesday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Nichols is now 9-8 (5-4 CCC) overall with their third straight victory, while Hartford falls to 9-8 with the loss.

Abrianna Vazquez led the attack for the Bison with a team-high 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the senior guard sank four of her seven attempts (57.1%) from three range. Graduate Kiera Fernandes was also able to eclipse the 20-point mark in the effort with 24 points scored, while Summer Klein and Leandra Ortiz reach put up 14 and 10 respectively. Nichols continued to dominate in the steals category, stripping the ball 28 total times with 49 points scored off Hartford turnovers. The team shot 35-of-76 (46.1%) from the field, which registered as their best single-game performance this season.

Hartford grabbed a seven-point cushion through the opening five minutes with a 11-4 advantage. However, following their sluggish start, the Bison eventually jumped in front 12-11 with 3:07 left of the first quarter with an 8-0 run, with half the points coming from the charity stripe. Nichols then dominated the final few minutes of the frame with nine more unanswered points, capped off by back-to-back layups from Kya Burdier for a 21-13 lead after one.

Into the second quarter, the Bison offense again went quiet through the first five minutes. The Hawks pulled out a wild card by outscoring the Bison 17-4, putting themselves in front by a 30-25 margin. For the remainder of the half, Nichols slowly chiseled away at the Hartford lead before a Klein three-pointer with 00:28 left put the hosts back ahead 42-40, which then became 42-41 with one final free throw from the Hawks prior to the break.

In a high-scoring third quarter, Nichols moved in front for the final time, 54-53, on an and-one free throw following a made layup by Fernandes with 4:24 to play. Just eight seconds later, Vazquez converted on a Hartford turnover with a made layup, which contributed to a 9-0 run by the Bison for a 58-53 lead. To close out the quarter, 12 more points went unanswered for Nichols, resulting in a 74-60 difference entering the final period.

Nichols pushed its lead to 19 points on a Fernandes triple and a pair of makes from Vazquez at the free-throw line to open the fourth, which proved to be another high-scoring affair. The Hawks managed to battle back through the midway point of the frame with a 10-0 run, but ultimately found the difference to be too much to overcome. Nichols went on to win the game by the 14-point difference.

Nichols will now aim for four in a row when they visit conference foe Western New England on Saturday, January 27^th for a 1:00 PM start at the Anthony S. Caprio Center.