DUDLEY, Mass. (Dec. 1) – Junior forward Jessica Nelson (No. Providence, R.I.) scored a career-high 26 points and hit the game-winning basket to lead the Nichols College women's basketball team to an 81-79 overtime victory over visiting Fitchburg State Tuesday evening in a non-conference meeting. The Bison improve to 3-2, while the Falcons dip to 2-3.

Nelson drained nine of 13 from the field (69.2%) and posted her first double-double of the year with 10 rebounds. Junior guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.) joined Nelson with a double-double, posting 18 points to go with a game-high 10 assists.

Kelley Rogers led the Falcons with 26 points , sinking all eight free throws to help Fitchburg to a 79.2% conversion from the charity stripe. Kim Duprey added 15 points on five three-pointers and Kari Averill chipped in with 14 points. Rebecca Goreham recorded a game-high 12 rebounds.

Nichols led by as many as 11 points late in the first half, but the Falcons closed out the half with 11-straight points, led by three treys from Duprey, for a 34-34 score.

With eight lead changes, the second half proved to be a tighter affair, with a Duprey three-pointer giving the Falcons a four-point lead less than eight minutes into the stanza, followed by Nichols chipping away and building up to a seven-point lead with 5:45 to go.

Averill hit twice from beyond the arc to bring the Falcons back into it and then hit a jumper to give the visitors a 66-65 lead with less than a minute left. The teams traded baskets before a Nichols foul with four seconds left sent Krystle O'Brien to the line with Nichols leading, 69-68, and four seconds on the clock. O'Brien sank the first shot to tie, but the second hit off the rim forcing the extra session.

Overtime started with Chelsea Shaughnessy (Halifax, Mass.) and Averill trading pairs of free throws for a 71-71 deadlock at the 4:22 mark, but Nelson finished off a three-point play and Kristina Lindgren (Sturbridge, Mass.) sank a basket on a possession after a Fitchburg foul for a five-point lead.

Megan Jacobs hit a three-pointer with 1:40 left to cut Nichols' lead to 78-76 before Shaughnessy made one of two from the line to edge the Bison ahead by three.

Duprey came in with a clutch three-pointer with 36 seconds left to tie it, but Nelson converted a pass from Shaughnessy in the lane on the next possession to give Nichols an 81-79 lead.

Rogers fired with a few seconds left and got her own rebound, but her last-second shot came up short.

Nichols shot 47.4% from the field, but Fitchburg parlayed 27 Bison turnovers into 29 points.

The Bison are back in action at home Thursday against Westfield State in a 7 p.m. game. Fitchburg travels to Simmons Thursday for a 7 p.m. game. 

Box Score