Box Score
WENHAM, Mass. – Senior captain Kasey Pelletier (Dunstable, Mass.) scored a team-high 14 points to lift the Nichols College women's basketball team to a 55-41 win at Gordon College Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action.

Classmate and fellow captain Devon Spirka (Wilmington, Vt.) added 12 points for the Bison, who have two of their last three games and head home with a record of 9-7 (4-5 CCC). Junior Amber Litwinko (Berlin, Conn.) was the third Nichols student-athlete in double figures as she recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. Junior captain Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with eight points, 10 rebound, three assists, and two steals.

Junior Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led all student-athletes with 15 points as Gordon slipped to 5-12 on the season (1-9 CCC). Freshman Fredi Nielson (Bridgeport, Conn.) chipped in eight points and seven rebounds while senior Lauren Kranyak (Locust Grove, Va.) registered seven points and five rebounds.

The Bison built an early 7-0 lead over the first four minutes of the game thanks to the offensive rebounding prowess of Litwinko. The junior forward was all over the floor in the first half—grabbing nine rebounds in the period—and sparked the Bison to open a hefty lead.

Nichols lead ballooned to 13-3 halfway through the first half as Gordon struggled to find it touch from the floor. Senior Clancey Adams (Simsbury, Conn.) hit a three from the corner on a skip pass from Kratche was the only basket for the Scots in the first 10 minutes of the game.

However, Kranyak spurred the Scots to a 6-0 run with a put-back from an offensive rebound at the 7:59 mark. A minute later, Kratche went coast-to-coast, blowing past her defender for the easy layup on the other end. Sophomore Olivia Vetere (Mahopac, N.Y.) capped the run with a steal and fast-break layup to force Nichols into a timeout situation.

Nichols led 19-14 with only a few ticks remaining on the clock when Pelletier hit a three in front of the Gordon bench to make it a 22-14 game at halftime.
The Bison opened the second half with a 7-0 run to gain their largest lead of the game at 15 points. After a quiet start to the game, Pelletier drained a three right out of gates, followed by one from Litwinko two minutes later.

A large hole seemed to kick start the Fighting Scots offense, as Gordon countered with a 10-0 run of its own. Sophomore Mariel Barner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and senior Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) hit back-to-back threes before Nielsen ended the streak with two made shots at the charity stripe.

The Bison and Scots traded baskets back and forth until a three-point play by Kratche at 11:41 in the second half. Kratche picked the pocket of junior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) and took the ball to the rim for a bucket, plus the foul. The junior guard converted on the free-throw attempt to cut Nichols lead to 33-29. Spirka responded by scoring seven-straight points to turn the Bison lead back to double-digits with six minutes to play.

Gordon chipped away at the deficit and got back within four points on a Kratche layup with two minutes remaining. However, the Bison made their final nine free-throw attempts in the closing minute to push their lead from four to 14, for a final 55-41 score.

Nichols plays at Roger Williams Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Fighting Scots host Endicott Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Contributions from Gordon sports information