Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman guard Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while junior guard MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, N.J.) added 15 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals as Nichols (16-6, 8-2 The Commonwealth Coast Conference) overcame a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Wentworth (10-12, 3-7), 74-63, in TCCC action.

Momentum swung in the Leopards' favor early, as Wentworth jumped out to a 16-9 lead eight minutes into the contest as sophomore guards Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass.) and Jessie Coffey (Wakefield, R.I.) scored five and four points, respectively.  However, the Bison quickly battled back with an 8-0 run and took a 17-16 lead on a basket by freshman guard Michele Guerin (Chciopee, Mass.).

With the score tied at 24-all, Nichols sophomore guard Lyndsey Bennett (North Brookfield, Mass.) buried a three to give her team a 27-24 lead.  However, those would be the last points the visitors would score in the first half as Wentworth used an 8-0 run to close out the half.

Fauci scored the first four points of the second half to extend the lead to 36-27, but the Bison got four points from sophomore forward Margaret Lilly (Ashfield, Mass.) in the midst of a 5-0 spurt and trimmed the lead to 36-32.  Cring and freshman forward Sam Vinciguerra (Somersworth, N.H.) hit consecutive baskets for Wentworth, pushing the lead to 40-32 with 13:37 left.

Trailing by six with 11:19 to play, Nichols went on a 10-2 run and took a 46-44 lead on one of two free throws from Lilly with 8:18 left.  Leopard sophomore guard Meaghan Gardner (Shrewsbury, Mass.) hit four of the Leopards' next six points and tied the game at 50-all with 6:00 remaining.  However, Skarzenski took matters into her own hands, scoring the next five points and Nelson added four of her own in a 9-0 run that gave the Bison a 59-50 lead with 3:36 to play.

Wentworth would cut the lead to seven with 1:41 left, but could not get any closer, as Nichols hit 11 of 13 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Guerin added 11 points and five rebounds to help the Bison win their fourth straight.  Nichols is back in action on Saturday, hosting Eastern Nazarene at 3:00 p.m.

Fauci led all scorers with 21 points, while Cring added 12 points and 13 rebounds and Coffey chipped in with 10 points.  Wentworth hosts Curry Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

Story courtesy of Wentworth Sports Information