Box Score

DUDLEY, Mass. – Senior Hayley Zophin (Framingham, Mass.) tallied 10 points, 19 rebounds, five blocks and four steals for Nichols College, which dropped a 46-40 contest to Eastern Nazarene in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action Thursday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.

The double-double was the eighth of the season for the senior forward, who played 38 minutes and was a force on defense despite shooting just 4-of-17 on the other end of the floor. Sophomore Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham Mass.) went for eight points, six rebounds and four steals but also committed eight of the Bison's 33 turnovers – 23 of which came in the second half. The Bison played without junior starting point guard Devon Spirka (Wilmington, Vt.).

For Eastern Nazarene, senior Shardae Brown (Waterbury, Conn.) owned the paint, racking up 18 points and 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. Classmate Mel Green (Annapolis, Md.) was next with eight points, five rebounds and five steals while junior guard Presley Neufeld (Seattle, Wash.) notched three points, four steals and two assists.

The game was tied at 23 at the break as Zophin had eight points and nine boards to pace Nichols while Brown had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Lions. The visitors dominated the glass, snaring 25 rebounds compared to 17 for the Bison. Nichols shot the ball at a 44 percent clip, compared to just 29 percent for ENC (10-of-34).

Brown's layup 2:10 into the second half tied the game at 25 – the ninth and final tie of the evening. Following a layup by Wegrzynek that put the Bison ahead by two, Neufeld sank a long three-point field goal that gave the Lions the lead for good at 28-27. They stretched their lead to as many as seven with 12:15 to go on a layup by Green, but the Bison rallied to climb to within one (34-33) at the midway point of the half. ENC senior Ace Carradine (Honolulu, Hawaii) answered with a pair of baskets that pushed the lead back to five, and it never dipped below four for the remainder of the contest.

Junior Kasey Pelletier (Dunstable, Mass.) recorded six points and four assists for Nichols, which forced 22 turnovers of its own. The Lions scored 21 points off turnovers compared to 14 points for the Bison. A total of six Eastern Nazarene student-athletes finished with at least two steals.

The Bison return to action on Saturday when they head to Biddeford, Maine for a 1:00 p.m. contest with the Nor'easters. The Lions host Western New England Saturday at 1 p.m.