Nichols Women's Hoops Wins 19th-Straight, 68-52 Over Wentworth

DUDLEY, Mass.—The Nichols College women’s basketball team extended its program-record win streak to 19 games, defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology, 68-52, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup Tuesday night. The Bison were led by 15 points from senior point guard MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, Conn.), who in her 107th career start, set a program record for games started as well as matched the program mark for games played. Skarzenski, who has never missed a game nor a start, added nine assists and three steals.

The Bison (20-2, 10-0 TCCC) opened up the game early, going on a 23-4 run that lasted the first 10 minutes, capped off by a jumper from junior guard Alena Jasinski (Canton, Conn.).

Wentworth (5-17, 3-7 TCCC) fought its way back, though, and outscored Nichols 24-17 the rest of the half, ending the first period down by 12, 40-28.

Nichols pulled away in second half, increasing its lead to 21 off a jumper from Skarzenski midway through the period. The Bison kept the game out of reach throughout; the closest Wentworth would get after that was 16 on a layup from Meaghan Gardner (Shrewsbury, Mass.) at the final buzzer.

Junior forward Margaret Lilly (Ashfield, Mass.) added 12 points, three blocks, and four steals for the Bison, who also received a 13 point, nine rebound performance from sophomore forward Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.).

The Leopards were led by 14 points and seven rebounds from sophomore Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y.), and a double-double from junior guard Michelle Moffo (Southington, Conn.), who scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards.

The Bison, who are one game away from tying the program record for wins in a season, will travel to Eastern Nazarene for a 1 p.m. game Saturday while Wentworth travels to Curry College on Saturday for a 1 p.m. game.

Nichols Extends Streak to 16, Defeats Curry, 55-39

DUDLEY, MASS—The Nichols College women’s basketball team extended its program record winning streak to 16 games with a 55-39 victory over visiting Curry College in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup Saturday afternoon. Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) led the way for the Bison with 11 points and six rebounds, helping the team stay undefeated in conference play with a 7-0 mark.

The first eight minutes of the game were close, with Curry only trailing by four, until Nichols went on a 26-8 run, capped off by a layup from first-year forward Chelsea Shaughnessy (Halifax, Mass.). That stretch put the Bison ahead by 22, leading 38-16 at the half.

Curry (6-13, 2-5 TCCC) fought back early in the second half, opening the period with a 12-4 run of their own to cut the deficit to 14 with 13 minutes to play. That was as close as Curry would get though, as Nichols regrouped and held the Colonels to only 11 points for the rest of the game, winning it, 55-39.

Sophomore guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.), added nine points for the Bison Sophomore Danyel Cousins (Brunswick, Maine) was the high scorer for Curry with nine points and seven boards.

The Bison host Anna Maria on Wednesday, February 4 in an 8 p.m. conference matchup. Curry travels to New England College on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. game.

Atkins Leads Nichols Past Curry, 75-67

DUDLEY, Mass. – Led by 20 points and six rebounds from first-year forward Pete Atkins (Gainesville, Fla.) the Nichols College men’s basketball team rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to defeat Curry, 75-67, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference game Saturday afternoon. The Bison rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to win their third-straight game and improve to 10-9 overall and 5-2 in TCCC action. Curry, led by 22 points from senior guard Quashed Simmons (Paterson, N.J.), dips to 5-13 overall and 2-5 in league play.

Also figuring in double-digits for the Bison were junior guard Chris Paquin (Barre, Mass.), who had 10 points and five rebounds, while senior captain Jeff Lindgren (Sturbridge, Mass.) pitched in 11 points and senior forward John Costello (Tolland, Conn.) added 10, both off the bench. Junior forward Ryan Wilcox (West Granby, Conn.) picked up a game-high 11 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end.

Colonels’ leading scorer Mark Mastrullo (Billerica, Mass.) recorded 16 points to go with seven boards, while sophomore center Chris Bonadies (Medfield, Mass.) added 10 points and six rebounds.

The first half featured eight lead changes, with Nichols taking a 24-14 lead midway through the frame after a 12-0 run. Curry rallied with a 12-2 run to tie it on an and-one play by Simmons with 5:29 left in the half before the senior hit nine of Curry’s next 11 points to give the Colonels a 37-35 advantage heading into intermission.

The teams traded leads early in the second half, with the Bison chipping away at a six-point Colonels advantage early on before Atkins knotted the game at 44-44 with an under-the-rim layup at 14:37. Curry held the game in check until an 11-3 Nichols run capped by a Wilcox layup at 4:11 put the Bison up by 10, 70-60.

Nichols shot 49.1% (26-53) on the night, while holding Curry to 32.9% shooting (23-70), including a 19.2% effort from three-point range (5-26). Nichols hit six of 17 attempts (35.3%) from beyond the arc.

The Bison held a slim advantage off the glass at 40-38, but Curry took advantage of 20 Nichols turnovers, converting them into 20 points. The Bison found nine points of 15 Colonels miscues.

Nichols continues its homestand on Wednesday, February 4 in an 8 p.m. game against Anna Maria before celebrating Senior Day on Saturday, February 7 in a 3 p.m. game against Gordon. Curry travels to New England College for a 7:30 p.m. game Wednesday.