DUDLEY, Mass. – Senior Devon Spirka (Wilmington, Vt.) poured in a career-high 23 points to lead the Nichols College women's basketball team to a 70-63 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Spirka knocked down four shots from behind the arc as well as seven-of-eight from the free throw line as the Bison (8-6, 3-5 CCC) surpassed their win total from all of last season under second-year head coach Alice Mullen. The loss drops the Leopards to 5-9 (2-6 CCC).
Junior Amber Litwinko (Berlin, Conn.) fell one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine boards for the Bison, who also received 16 points from junior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) on six-of-nine from the field. Nichols shot a season-high 49 percent from the field (24-of-49) to help overcome 21 turnovers.
The Leopards, meanwhile, outrebounded the Bison 35-33 – including 17-10 on the offensive side. Senior Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) scored a team-high 20 points – 10 of which came from the free throw line – and also snared eight rebounds in 39 minutes of action. A trio of sophomores – Megan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn.), Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.), and Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) – each scored 11 points.
The Bison shot 46 percent in the first half to build a six-point halftime lead (30-24). Nichols – which never trailed in the contest – led by as many as nine following a basket from sophomore Jessica Kelliher (Marshfield, Mass.) with 5:32 on the clock. Kerr led all scorers with 12 points while Litwinko netted 11 and Spirka had six.
Wentworth scored the first six points of the second half – including four from Rogers – to tie the game at 30. Four minutes later, a layup by Spirka put the Bison up six at 38-32, and a three from sophomore Chelsey Mahoney (Dracut, Mass.) stretched the lead to nine (52-43) with 8:11 remaining in the half.
A basket by Kelliher with 4:33 to go made it a 12-point advantage for the home team before a pair of jumpers from Kerr and two free throws from Camara cut the lead to six. The Leopards got to within four after Camara drained her only three of the contest with 2:12 to go, but four free throws from Spirka down the stretch solidified the win. Nichols shot 52 percent over the final 20 minutes.
Camara finished with a team-high nine rebounds while Kerr grabbed eight. Spirka and McLaughlin each handed out five assists. Spirka notched seven rebounds and a pair of steals.
The Bison return to action on Tuesday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Eastern Nazarene. Wentworth hosts Endicott Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
(Recap courtesy of Nichols Sports Information)
February 25, 2014
Kerr Honored by the Commonwealth Coast Conference
February 25, 2014
Women's Basketball Ends Season in CCC Quarterfinals
February 22, 2014
CCC Women's Basketball Tournament Pairings Set
February 22, 2014
Women's Basketball Clinches Spot in CCC Tournament
February 19, 2014
Endicott Pushes Past Women's Basketball
February 15, 2014
Roger Williams Cruises Past Wentworth
February 12, 2014
Women's Basketball Falls Short Against Western New England
February 1, 2014
Strong Second Half Lifts Women's Basketball to Second Straight Win
January 29, 2014
Women's Basketball Rallies Past Salve Regina to Snap Losing Streak
January 27, 2014
Endicott Cruises Past Women's Basketball
January 25, 2014
Curry Outlasts Women's Basketball
January 18, 2014
Nichols Pulls Away From Women's Basketball
January 15, 2014
Women's Basketball Rallies to Defeat Western New England
January 11, 2014
Women's Basketball Falls to Roger Williams
January 9, 2014
Women's Basketball Holds off Eastern Nazarene
January 7, 2014
UNE Holds off Late Women's Basketball Charge
January 4, 2014
Women's Basketball Suffers Setback at Gordon
December 16, 2013
Kerr Named CCC Player of the Week
December 14, 2013
Women's Basketball Ends First Semester Play on a High Note
December 12, 2013
Kerr Reaches Milestone in Women's Basketball Loss to Lasell
December 7, 2013
Curry Works Overtime to Defeat Women's Basketball
December 2, 2013
Women's Basketball Falls to St. Joseph
November 21, 2013
Strong Second Half Lifts Women's Basketball to Second Straight Win
November 17, 2013
McLaughlin's Heroics Lift Women's Basketball to Win Over Manhattanville
November 16, 2013
Womens Basketball Falls in Season Opener
November 15, 2013
Women's Basketball Picked to Finish Eighth in CCC Pre-Season Poll