BRISTOL, R.I. (1/25/25) – The Nichols College women's basketball team struggled to overcome a sluggish first half in a lopsided 88-49 loss at conference opponent Roger Williams University on Saturday afternoon inside the RWU Campus Rec Center Gymnasium.

The Bison drop to 10-7 (3-7 CNE) overall with their third straight loss, while the Hawks sweep the regular season series and improve to 11-6 (8-2 CNE).

Abrianna Vazquez ended the afternoon with 15 points on 6-of-15 (40.0%) shooting, adding in a pair of steals. Riley Bassett chipped in a season-high six points, along with a team-best four rebounds, while Alyvia Smith added eight points on the day.

Nichols held its own through the first five minutes of the opening quarter, trailing the Hawks by just two points at 13-11. Despite the strong start from the Bison, Roger Williams proceeded to stack up 15 unanswered points over the next four minutes, helping them to 15-point lead of 30-15 after one.

The hosts continued to control much of the action in the second quarter, outscoring the Bison by a 21-12 margin while shooting 7-of-15 (46.7%) from the field, as compared to Nichols 5-of-16 (31.3%). As a result, the Bison faced the challenge of a 51-27 deficit at halftime.

Following a stretch of alternating play to open the second half, Nichols pushed back with a quick 5-0 run to trim the Hawks' lead down to 22 points, with Bassett and Vazquez each scoring layups. However, the Hawks continued their streak of ending on a high note, scoring six of the final eight points in the frame for a 69-43 lead after three.

Roger Williams showed no signs of slowing down in the fourth, furthering their lead to as many as 41 points before eventually winning the contest, 88-49.

Women's hoops returns home to the Nichols Athletic Center on Tuesday, January 28^th for its Cancer Awareness Game against Gordon College (6-11, 3-7 CNE), with tip-off slated for 5:00 PM.