DUDLEY, Mass. – Nichols College junior guard Kristina Lindgren (Sturbridge, Mass.) scored 18 points to lead the women's basketball team to a 53-45 victory over visiting Wentworth in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon. The win snaps a five-game skid for the Bison, who improve to 5-16 overall and 4-10 in conference games. Wentworth drops its sixth consecutive game to fall to 1-20 overall and 1-13 in league play.
Lindgren finished just shy of a double-double, pulling down nine rebounds to go with a 6-for-13 shooting effort. Hayley Zophin (Framingham, Mass.) had a game high-tying 10 boards to go with seven points, while Chelsea Shaughnessy (Halifax, Mass.) and Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) each posted six steals.
Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) led the Leopards with a double-double, scoring 11 points to go with 10 rebounds and four steals. Jordan Biggar (Beverly, Mass.) scored a team-best 13 points to go with seven boards off the bench.
The game was a defensive struggle from the start with Wentworth posting the game's first basket over four-and-a-half minutes into the contest. After spotting the Leopards a 5-0 lead, Nichols exploded on a 16-1 run over the next five minutes to build a double-digit lead, 16-5. The Bison capitalized on Wentworth's 22.6% shooting effort to maintain a safe distance for the remainder of the half, and carried a 26-17 advantage into the break.
Wentworth got within five points in the early part of the second half, and gathered momentum to post a 10-0 run and tie it up, 39-39, on a three-pointer by Paige Newcomb (Topsfield, Mass.) with under eight to play. The Bison composed themselves, however, and shot off on an 8-0 run to swing the game back in their favor, 47-39.
Nichols hit five of its final six free throws of the game and held Wentworth to just a pair of layups in the final two minutes – both from Ashley Conway (Danvers, Mass.) – to keep the game in check.
The Leopards' bench scored 23 points on the day – all from Biggar and Christine Henry (Tewksbury, Mass.). The Bison combined for 17 steals and 11 assists on the afternoon.
Nichols returns to action Wednesday in an 8 p.m. home game against Roger Williams. Wentworth hosts Salve Regina on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
(Release Courtesy of Nichols Sports Information)
