Recap
Senior Rebecca Cleary filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks to lead the Nichols College women's basketball team to a 51-48 win over St. Joseph (CT) in the season-opener for both programs Monday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
Sophomore Isabella Nerney chipped in with 13 points for the Bison (1-0) while junior Ciarri Formby-Lavertu went for 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Nichols shot 80 percent from the charity stripe and held the Blue Jays to 23 percent shooting in the second half.
 
Sophomore Raelynn Voislow paced St. Joseph (CT) with 12 points as she canned three 3-pointers to go with five boards and three steals. Freshman Diamond Wallen and Cheyenne Mone-Smith each scored 10 points for the visitors, who also held a 53-45 edge on the glass and forced 27 turnovers.
 
The Bison trailed 14-6 after one quarter before ripping off a 24-7 run to open up a nine-point lead (30-21) early in the third quarter. The Blue Jays answered with a 14-4 run to grab a 35-34 lead later in the third before six-straight points from Formby-Lavertu to open the fourth put the Bison back in front by seven at 42-35. A three-pointer by Nerney with 3:38 on the clock extended the NC lead to eight.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Cleary established career-highs in both rebounds and blocks.
            -With the win, the Bison snapped a three-game losing streak in season-openers, earning their first win since downing Anna Maria 54-53 on November 14, 2015.
            -Nichols has now won three of the last four meetings with the Blue Jays (0-2).
 
Quote
"It's great to pick up a win, especially after the way we started the game. We were able to battle back after not shooting well in the first quarter and use our defense to get back into the game. We made some adjustments and had great energy from everyone. It took a total team effort to get the win today. It wasn't pretty, but it feels great to finish a game out and get that first win." –Nichols head coach MaryLynn Skarzenski
 
Next game
Wednesday, November 14 @ Coast Guard, 7:00 p.m.