SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (12/2/24) – In another battle of undefeated teams, the Nichols College women's basketball team fell short in an 89-57 loss to Western New England University on the road Monday at the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.

The game was the first Conference of New England (CNE) matchup for both sides, with the Bison falling to 4-1 (0-1 CNE) overall and WNE improving to 6-0 (1-0 CNE).

Graduate student guard Abrianna Vazquez led the Bison with 10 points on the night, while junior guard Adriana Romano finished close behind with nine points and three assists, adding in a pair of rebounds. The Bison were limited to just 34.5 percent (20-of-58) from the field for the game but held a 16-14 edge in total steals throughout the night.

The Golden Bears blazed out of the gate with an 8-2 lead through the game's first three minutes, powered by a series of three consecutive jumpers. Nichols attempted a response with a Rylee Barrieault triple at the 5:53 mark, but soon fell further behind as WNE finished the frame leading the Bison by 12 points at 23-11.

As play moved into the second quarter, the Bison continued to lose ground as WNE increased its lead to 17 points midway through the period. Nichols countered with back-to-back layups from Vazquez and sophomore Angie Coletti, their only scoring run of the half, but proceeded to struggle containing the incoming Golden Bear attack. By halftime, the Bison faced a 44-23 deficit.

Despite improved offensive output in the third, the Bison were unable to make any headway as they were limited to single scoring drives, while WNE stretched its lead to 63-39 heading into the fourth. An early Summer Klein layup in the final frame brought the difference to 22 points for the Bison, but it would be as close as Nichols would get with the Golden Bears capturing the victory by the final of 89-57.

The Bison return to conference action this coming Wednesday when they head to Gordon College (2-3, 0-0 CNE) for a 5:30 PM tipoff at the Bennett Center.