Box Score DUDLEY, Mass. (Jan. 31) – Nichols College senior forward Chelsea Shaughnessy tied a school record with 12 steals as the women's basketball team suffered a 53-50 overtime setback to visiting Eastern Nazarene in a Commonwealth Coast Conference game. The Lions erased an 11-point deficit to improve to 9-9 overall and 6-5 in conference games. Nichols dips to 4-15 overall and 3-9 in league play.

Alexis Malloy pulled down 18 rebounds to lead Eastern Nazarene to a 61-40 rebounding advantage that parlayed into 14 second-chance points. Dianna Bonds added 14 caroms, while Abbie Tonello recorded seven rebounds to go with a team-high 12 points and Shardae Brown pulled down seven to go 10 points.

Shaughnessy had a team-high 10 rebounds for the Bison and tied MaryLynn Skarzenski '09 for the single-game steals record. Skarzenski previously set the mark against Curry on February 2, 2008. Alexis Wegrzynek scored a team-high 13 points and six rebounds, while Kristina Lindgren scored 12 points to go with a game-high five assists.

Nichols jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the opening five minutes, but the Lions all but doubled up the Bison over the next 10 minutes to tie the game, 21-21, by the six-minute mark. The momentum quickly shifted the other way, however, as Nichols took advantage of multiple Eastern Nazarene turnovers to go on a 9-0 run before Tonello broke the streak to cap the half's scoring with Nichols leading, 30-23.

The Bison opened up their lead to 11 early in the second half, but Eastern Nazarene took advantage of the glass to go on a 14-3 run capped by a Malloy put-back to tie it up, 37-37, with 8:39 on the clock.

The Lions led by four before Nichols tied it up three more times, finally on a pair of free throws by Sarah Whitestone with less than a minute to play. A missed Eastern Nazarene jumper gave Nichols the inbounds, and after a timeout with 24 seconds left, the Bison had the ball under their basket. Ace Carradine stole the ball, however, and started up the sidelines with it, but turned it over at midcourt. Nichols had one more chance on an inbounds play, but the attempt fell short as time expired with the score tied at 45-45.

Whitestone came through in overtime, tying the game at 47-47, and giving the Bison a three-point lead after Lindgren hit the front end of a pair of free throws. However, with under two minutes to play, a costly Bison turnover gave the Lions back-to-back baskets and a one-point lead, 51-50.

The Bison had a chance to take the lead with six seconds left as Shaughnessy went to the line, but neither shot would fall. Wegrzynek grabbed the second shot's rebound, but she lost possession. Malloy sank the final two free throws of the game with under two seconds left, and Nichols didn't have time to make a full-court inbounds play.

Nichols travels to Endicott Thursday for an 8 p.m. game. Eastern Nazarene hosts Salve Regina Thursday at 6 p.m.

Box Score