WENHAM, Mass. (12/4/24) – In their second game in three nights, the Nichols College women's basketball program picked up its first Conference of New England victory of the season, defeating Gordon College 89-84 at the Bennett Center Wednesday evening.

The Bison stand tall at 5-1 (1-1 CNE) following the win, while the Fighting Scots drop to 2-4 (0-1 CNE).

Graduate student Abrianna Vazquez led the way for the Bison, recording 20 points and four rebounds as all five Nichols starters scored in double-figures. Junior Alyvia Smith contributed 14 points on 4-of-9 (44.4%) shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Summer Klein finished with 12 points and six boards, while Adriana Romano and Angie Coletti each added 10 apiece. Romano also led the team with eight rebounds, which was a career-high for the junior.  

As a team, the Bison shot 33-of-90 (36.7%) from the field, scoring 34 points in the paint and 35 off turnovers.

Both teams found themselves engaged in a tight battle through the opening quarter, with Gordon owning a slight four-point lead at the 3:00 mark. However, the remaining time belonged to the Bison as they scored eight straight points to turn the deficit into a 19-15 lead, highlighted by an Angie Coletti go-ahead layup at 1:08 in the frame. The Bison would not surrender the lead again the remainder of the night.

The Bison attempted the pull away from the Fighting Scots with an early 9-1 run in the second, but soon saw the effort thwarted by the hosts as each side wound up scoring 18 points apiece in the quarter. As a result, the Bison would maintain a four-point edge heading into halftime, 37-33.

In the third, Nichols took control as the team outscored the Fighting Scots 32-19, all the while shooting 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field. Vazquez accounted for 10 of the total points in the quarter, included six in an early 10-0 run by the Bison, leading them to a 15-point lead after three. Nichols also shot well from behind the arc, with Smith, Vazquez, Klein and sophomore Aydan Gulliver each knocking down triples.

Despite being outscored by Gordon, 32-20 in the final frame, the strong third quarter performance was enough to help the Bison seal the win over the Fighting Scots, 89-84.

The Bison will return to the Nichols Athletic Center this Saturday as they square off against Roger Williams University (2-3, 0-0 CNE). Tip-off is scheduled for 1 PM.