DUDLEY, Mass. (1/17/2026) - The Nichols College women's basketball team hosted the University of Hartford Hawks at the Nichols Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon, meeting on the court for their first match up this year. Following four quarters of play in conference competition, The Bison were closely bested by the Hawks continued efforts down the stretch, 59-56.

Following the loss, the Bison fall to 9-8 on the season, with their record in conference play dropping to 2-6. Hartford improves their record to 9-7, with the win improving their standing in the CNE to 6-1.

In the match, Nichols's scoring efforts were led by Alyvia Smith with 21 points, her fifth 20-point performance on the season. Also sharing the rebound efforts were Smith and Adriana Romano with their seven each, Romano also fueling the assist efforts with her five.

The first quarter saw large scoring efforts from both sides, with a combined points scored total of 33. Hartford excelled in their ability to score off of the turnover as well as generate fastbreak points, seeing 15 points come from these stats alone. Similarly, the Bison saw eight points come off of turnovers, producing 11 points on second chances, with most credited from the three offensive boards. Rylee Barrieault's steal and three forced turnovers on Hartford added to the Bison's offensive momentum, turning Hartford mistakes into makes. Smith entered the game looking dangerous from behind the arc as well, contributing to the scoring effort with her two three-point makes. Both teams exited the court with Hartford advantage, 18-15.

Early in the second, the Bison propelled themselves to multiple score ties and close deficits thanks to multiple Nichols scoring opportunities. A minute in, Romano's three-pointer tied the Bison and Hawks at 18 a piece, consecutively having Romano produce a fastbreak layup at 7:34 to keep it tied at 20-20. Ending the first half of play, the Bison were able to keep the deficit tight, Hawks up one point at 26-25. 

In the third quarter, Barrieault and Smith continued to knock down crucial jumpers ahead of and behind the three-point line, with both of their three-pointers making a 40-38 lead for the Bison at the final buzzer possible. Angie Coletti's two steals also helped suppress the scoring efforts of Hartford to keep their cushion going into the fourth.

In the final quarter of play, the game saw six lead changes down the stretch, the most all game. Nichols' 4-7 on three-pointers in the final quarter proved to be a key contributor to the Bison's closely matched efforts going into the end of the game, but foul trouble and time issues proved to be conclusive in the final minutes, with the Bison losing 59-56.

The Bison will return to conference play Suffolk University's Smith Court on January 20th, with tip-off set for 5:30 PM.