Nichols Holds Off Basketball Comeback Bid, 55-52
Game StatisticsSOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Dec. 9, 2008) - Sophomore forward Jessica Nelson recorded a double-double to help the Nichols College women's basketball team to a thrilling 55-52 victory over non-conference foe Mount Holyoke College this evening at the Mildred Howard Gymnasium. The Bison trailed 52-49 with just under two minutes remaining in regulation but scored the final six points of the game to secure their sixth straight win. It was also the sixth time in a row that they defeated the Lyons.
Three players reached double digits in the scoring column for Nichols, which shot 37.3% (19-51) from the field and 73.7% (14-19) from the free throw line. The Bison drained three shots from beyond the arc. Nelson finished with game highs of 15 points and ten rebounds. She went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Nichols also received solid production from senior guard MaryLynn Skarzenski, who tallied 11 points, six boards and three assists. Junior forward Margaret Lilly added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Senior Katie Austen led the way for Mount Holyoke, which suffered its third three-point setback of the season. The guard collected 12 points to go with team highs of nine boards, six assists and two blocked shots. First year forward Emma Washauer netted 14 points, while junior guard Erin Cain and first year guard Christine Chancy chipped in with nine points apiece. The Lyons made 40.0% of their attempts from the floor and racked up 14 assists on 22 made baskets. They outrebounded the Bison 35-33.
Chancy knocked down a three pointer and a jumper in the first 7:22 of the contest to give Mount Holyoke an early 7-2 edge. Nichols responded with a 17-5 run over the next five minutes to open up a 19-12 lead of its own. Sophomores Michele Guerin and Ashley Robidoux both drilled a three pointer and a jumper during the spurt. The Bison took a 24-21 lead into the locker room. Robidoux and Cain each had seven points at the break.
A jumper by Robidoux put Nichols in front 30-25 in the early stages of the second stanza, but Mount Holyoke rattled off six of the next seven points to knot things up at 31-31 at the 15:21 mark. The Bison answered with a 14-3 run to open up a 45-33 advantage midway through the second half. Their 11 point lead was their largest of the game. Nelson converted two jumpers and four free throws during the five minute span.
Refusing to go away, Mount Holyoke staged a furious comeback over the next eight minutes. The Lyons outscored Nichols 19-4 during the stretch to gain their first lead since the 11:39 mark of the first half. Austen highlighted the rally with a conventional three point play and a layup on consecutive possessions. A jumper by Washauer put the hosts in front 50-49 with 2:44 to go in the half. After forcing a turnover at the other end, Mount Holyoke extended its lead to 52-49 on a jumper by Chancy with just under two minutes remaining in regulation.
From there, it was all Nichols. The Bison closed the game out with six consecutive points to seal things. Skarzenski scored the go-ahead bucket with 59 seconds on the clock and Nelson pushed the lead to 55-52 with a pair of free throws with 26 seconds to go.
Austen had a chance to send the contest to overtime on Mount Holyoke's final possession, but her three point attempt clanged off the front of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Nelson registered 12 of her 15 points after the intermission. Austen had 11 for the Lyons.
Mount Holyoke (2-7, 0-0 NEWMAC) will wrap up the 2008 portion of its schedule on Thursday, when it visits Eastern Connecticut State University at 7:00 p.m. Nichols (7-2, 0-0 TCCC) is slated to face off against Ramapo College in the first round of the Key Largo Tournament on Saturday, January 3. The Bison will then take on either St. Joseph's College of Maine or Cedar Crest College the following day.