FRANKLIN, Mass. (11/8/2025) – The Nichols College women's basketball team picked up a decisive season-opening victory at Dean College on Saturday, besting the Bulldogs by a score of 96-56 inside Pieri Gymnasium.

Nichols opens the new campaign at 1-0, while Dean drops to 0-1. The win was also the first for newly appointed interim head coach Ava Limonciello.

Nichols was well represented on the score sheet Saturday, with senior Adriana Romano and graduate student Summer Klein each notching 14 points in the effort, along with a combined seven rebounds. Sophomore Juliana Brimecombe was the leader in rebounds with a career-high seven against the Bulldogs, while Klein joined freshman newcomers Jaelize Rivera and Mackenzie Reynolds with two assists each. As a team, the Bison shot a combined 36-for-76 (47.7%), with a whopping 53 bench points and 28 points off Bulldog turnovers.

The Bison scored 16 of the game's first 18 points, all of which came from inside the arc. With a commanding lead already in hand, the balanced attack continued throughout the remainder of the quarter, with Nichols owning a 23-9 advantage after one quarter of play. Senior Tianna Fernandez led the team in the frame with five points and three boards, highlighting a list of nine Bison on the scoresheet.

Nichols would land another nine unanswered points to start the second quarter, including their first from deep off a make by Rylee Barrieault less than two minutes in. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs eventually started to find its offensive rhythm, but were unable to overcome the Bison attack with the guests furthering their lead to 31 points at the half, culminating in another triple from freshman Jailyn Garvin-Martin.

After the break, the third quarter turned out to be a much more balanced affair, with Nichols only holding a 25-21 advantage in points. However, 11 of those points came unanswered to open the quarter, including a pair of and-ones on driving layups from Romano and Klein, lifting the Bison to a extended 35-point difference through three quarters played.

The Bison went on to seal the victory by a final of 96-56, outscoring the Bulldogs by a narrow 19-14 margin in the final frame.

The Bison are back at the Nichols Athletic Center for their home opener against WestConn (0-0) on Thursday, November 13^th. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM.