BIDDEFORD, Maine (1/3/2026) - Despite a standout scoring performance from senior Alyvia Smith, Nichols women's basketball fell 68-48 at the University of New England on Saturday afternoon inside Harold Alfond Forum.

The loss moved Nichols to 8-5 (1-3 CNE) on the season, while UNE improves to 4-8 (2-1 CNE).

Smith notched 19 points in the effort, which came by way of 6-of-15 (40.0%) success from the field. Junior Rylee Barrieault also reached double figures with 10 points, while graduate student Summer Klein led the boards category with seven rebounds. UNE played well inside, scoring 48  points in the paint without a single make from three-point range.

UNE set the tone with an 8-3 lead early in the game, forcing the Bison to chase the score right out of the gate. Throughout the quarter, Nichols slowly pulled themselves back into the race thanks to a 6-0 run with under five minutes to go, with Alyvia Smith accounting for four of the points. Despite the effort, UNE would end the frame on a heater of their own, scoring eight unanswered to lead 22-12 after one.

Dakoda Correia and Rylee Barrieault connected for a pair of trifectas to open the second quarter, briefly bringing Nichols' deficit under 10 points at 24-18. UNE countered with an 11-2 run to reinforce their advantage to 35-20, ultimately leading to a 40-25 difference at the break.

The two sides settled in for a closely contested third quarter, with UNE barely holding the scoring edge by a 19-17 margin. Smith was Nichols' leader in the frame with five points, with the team also cashing in for five points on trips to the charity stripe.

However, Nichols would fail to close the gap any further in the fourth, with the hosts maintaining a 20-point lead up until the end, 68-48.   

The Bison head back home to host CNE opponent Wentworth Institute of Technology (1-11, 0-4 CNE) on Tuesday, January 6^th at 5:00 PM inside the Nichols Athletic Center.