DUDLEY, Mass. (12/12/23) – In their final game of 2023, the Nichols College women's basketball team fell at home in a non-conference tilt against Emerson College, 91-81 on Tuesday evening at the Nichols Athletic Center.
The loss comes as the third in a row for the Bison, who drop to 4-5 (1-1 CCC) overall on the season. Emerson improves to a 5-5 (0-0 LEC) mark with the win.
Graduate guard
Kiera Fernandes paced the Bison offense with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and was part of a four-way tie for the team-lead in steals with three. Joining Fernandes in double-figures for Nichols was senior
Abrianna Vazquez and sophomore
Alyvia Smith, who each tallied 15 points on the night. The Bison continued to dominate in the steals category with 18 in the game, which translated over to 34 points scored off Emerson turnovers. As a squad, Nichols shot 32-of-96 (33.3%) from the field.
Off the opening tip, both teams struggled to gain any traction through the first two minutes. However, Emerson quickly picked up the pace with an 11-3 run, which eventually expanded to become a 20-6 lead with 4:30 left to play in the first. Then, with under 4:00 to play, Smith helped get the Bison into the double figures with scores on consecutive drives, combining for five points to cut the difference down to 20-11. By the end of the first, the Bison had pulled to under 10 points of the Lions and trailed 24-15.
Fernandes opened the second period with a three-pointer from up top, and then quickly followed it up with a steal and score on the next sequence to make it a 24-20 game. However, the Lions went back to work on distancing themselves on the scoreboard and responded with a 12-0 run to further their lead to 36-20. The teams then swapped buckets for the remaining time in the half, keeping the Emerson lead in double-digits heading to the locker rooms at 39-27.
The alternating play continued throughout the entirety of a high-scoring third quarter, with the Lions clipping the Bison by a 29-23 margin to further their lead to 18 points entering the fourth. Offensively, the Bison kept their foot on the pedal in the final frame with 31 points scored, but the visitor lead proved too much of a challenge. Consequently, Emerson went on to take the win by the 91-81 final.
The Bison will now turn their attention to the new year and a road matchup against Commonwealth Coast Conference leading Roger Williams University (6-2, 3-0 CCC) on Tuesday, January 2
nd. Tipoff is slated for a 5:30 PM start at the RWU Campus Rec Center Gymnasium.
