DANBURY, Conn. (11/21/24) – The Nichols College women's basketball team rose to the occasion on Thursday night, defeating Western Connecticut State University, 97-85 in non-conference play on the road at Feldman Arena.

With their record now standing at 3-0, the Bison are off to their best start to a season since the 2013-14 campaign. With the loss, the Wolves fall to 1-3 respectively.

Graduate student Abrianna Vazquez was once again the top offensive producer for the Bison, scoring 26 points on 9-of-20 (32.2%) success from the field, along with five steals and four rebounds. Classmate Summer Klein scored 14 points with a game-high eight steals, while junior Adriana Romano put up 12 points and four assists. Freshman Juliana Brimecombe delivered her first collegiate double-figure performance, scoring 11 points. Nichols finished the game shooting 40-of-95 (42.1%) from the floor, and also matched their season high of 34 steals.

The Bison wasted no time introducing themselves offensively, getting a three-pointer basket from Vazquez to open the scoring off a pass from sophomore Angie Colletti. After a brief stretch of traded baskets, the Bison embarked on a 12-2 run to increase their lead to eight points, before sophomore Sarah Maher followed a three with a fastbreak layup to make it a 12-point game with under a minute to play.

Despite leading 29-14 to start, Nichols' fortunes changed in the second stanza as WestConn gradually worked its way back into the fold, eventually resulting in a 39-39 tie with 1:37 left to play in the half. Despite the strong response by the hosts, the Bison managed to end the frame on a high note, scoring eight of the final 10 points en route to a six-point, 47-41 lead at the break.   

Nichols once again held an advantage in the opening minutes of the third quarter, as Brimecombe and junior Kya Burdier each drilled three-pointers to extend the Bison lead. Shortly thereafter, WestConn rattled off a brief 7-2 run through the midway point of the quarter, but it was Brimecombe again with a layup at 2:55 that gave Nichols its largest lead of the game at 17 points. Even still, the Wolves would fail to go quietly, as they battled back to bring the deficit back under 10 points entering the final period.

Nichols officially put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, as the Bison shot 47.8 percent from the field on the way to their 97-85 victory.

Women's Basketball next plays on Monday night, when they will host Colby-Sawyer College (5-0) for another round of non-conference action at the Nichols Athletic Center, with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 PM.