DUDLEY, Mass. (Jan. 28) – Led by 26 points from senior guard Kailah Al-Darraji, the Western New England College women's basketball team defeated Nichols College, 77-68, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup Thursday evening. The Golden Bears rallied from an 11-point deficit with just over nine minutes left in the game to improve to 11-5 overall and 4-2 in conference games. Nichols dips to 8-9 overall and 1-5 in TCCC action.

Al-Darraji sank five of seven from beyond the arc and also pulled down eight rebounds. Joining her in double figures were first-year guard Emily Savino with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Elena Radzikowski, who added 15 points and five boards.

Junior guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.) scored a team-high 18 points for the Bison, including a 4-for-7 performance from three-point range, and also dished out five assists. Junior guard Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Lena Fracassini (Bridgeport, Conn.) was in all the right places, netting 12 points, to go with eight rebounds on the night. Senior guard Lyndsey Bennett (North Brookfield, Mass.) had a game-high seven assists to go with six points.

The teams played a close first half that featured eight lead changes and 12 ties. Neither team could muster much of a run until late in the frame when Savino followed a jumper with a steal to set up Kelly McCormick (Manchester, Conn.) for a layup that gave WNEC a four-point advantage. A jumper from Robidoux and a long trey by Jamy Ferris (Windsor, Mass.) put the Bison back in the lead at 31-30, but Al-Darraji responded with a three and Savino sank a pair of free throws to swing the game back in the visitors' favor. Ferris finished off a fast break with a layup to cut the margin to two points at the half; Western New England led, 35-33.

Nichols started the second half on a 12-0 run and held a 10-point lead by the 17-minute mark, but Western New England chipped away at it over the next two minutes to cut the lead to one on a Savino three-pointer. Nichols again built up its lead, this time to a game-high 11 points with 9:35 left.

Loren Stock sparked the Golden Bears' rally with a three-point play, and then Western New England capitalized on two key turnovers and a foul to tie it up, 58-58, with 6:17 left to play. The teams traded baskets until Al-Darraji hit a trey with 2:36 left to put WNEC up, 68-64, and then the Golden Bears hit seven of eight free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Western New England held a decisive advantage in the paint at 26-18, and outrebounded the Bison at a 41-32 clip, including a 29-16 margin on the defensive glass. Nichols, however, turned the ball over only 10 times to WNEC's 21, scoring 21 points off of the Golden Bears' errors.

The Bison are back in action in a 1 p.m. TCCC game at Curry on Saturday. Western New England hosts University of New England Saturday for a conference game at 1 p.m.

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