BOSTON, Mass. (1/15/25) – A strong second quarter was the driving force behind an 81-68 victory for the Nichols College women's basketball team on Wednesday, as they defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology in conference play inside Tansey Gymnasium.

The Bison rebound from their setback this past weekend and improve to 10-4 (3-4 CNE) overall. With the loss, the Leopards drop to 2-12 (0-7 CNE).

Adriana Romano saw her best performance of the season against the Leopards, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 (53.8%) shooting with three rebounds, and three steals. Abrianna Vazquez also contributed 18 points in the effort, while Summer Klein put up 14 points with a team-best five rebounds and four steals. The Bison finished with a 25-7 advantage over Wentworth in steals, and shot 32-of-89 (36.0%) from the field.

Neither side would gain a sizable lead in a closely contested opening period, but a series of triples from Rylee Barrieault and Adison Whitty in the final three minutes helped the Bison to a five-point advantage after one, 22-17. Nichols then ran up a 39-21 lead by the midway point of the second quarter, during which time the Bison defense held the Leopards to just one field goal. The balanced scoring continued through the remaining five minutes, as Vazquez cashed in for three points after drawing an and-one on a layup, moments before Klein nailed a three-pointer at 1:52 to restore Nichols' 18-point lead at 46-28.  By the conclusion of the half, Nichols maintained a comfortable 16-point, 48-32 lead over the Leopards.

The Bison opened the second half with a quick 7-0 run, which was capped off by another Barrieault three-pointer at 7:43, giving them their largest lead of the night at 23 points. As play continued, the Leopards battled back to bring the difference back under 20 points on a number of occasions but came up short in their efforts to shrink it down to under double figures.

Despite outscoring the Bison 19-12 in the fourth quarter, Wentworth would find the deficit too steep to overcome, with Nichols winning the contest by a 13-point margin.

Nichols returns home for their next contest, when they will welcome CNE opponent  University of New England (7-7, 4-3 CNE) to the Nichols Athletic Center this Saturday, January 19^th.  Tip off between the Bison and Nor'easters is set for 5:00 PM.