Late Rally Pushes Nichols Past Wellesley 61-59 on Tuesday

DUDLEY, Mass. -- Nichols sophomore guard Summer Klein (Stamford, Conn.) scored a game-high 25 points in a 61-59 thriller over Wellesley on Tuesday night.

The Blue fall to 0-3 in the season and have yet to play a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game. Nichols improves to 3-2 overall with the win.

Klein finished with 10 field goals including 3-of-7 from downtown for Nichols. Abrianna Vazquez (Dedham, Mass.) scored 15 points and recorded seven steals. First year Hadley Houghton (Madison, Conn.) was also in double-figures with 10 points and added six rebounds.

First year Caitlin Windross (Eastvale, Calif.) had a double-double for the Blue with a team-high 18 points (7-of-14) and dominated the boards with 20 rebounds. Junior Taylor Hirn (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Valentina Morakis (Long Island, N.Y.) had 17 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting. 

Wellesley got off to a hot start, after Windross and Anna Greenthal (Orinda, Calif.) knocked down a pair of three-pointers to give the Blue an 8-2 lead. The Bison would close out the quarter with a 5-0 run capped off by a Houghton driving layup and Wellesley led 8-7 after one. The Blue trailed by three in the middle of the second quarter when Windross scored a deuce to bring the game within one. Nichols took control and extended its lead to as large as 11 points after Vazquez knocked down a jumper. The Blue would trail 26-17 at the half.

Right out of the break, Wellesley fought back into the game. Hirn made a jump shot off a dish by Sairah O'Brien-Forde (Binghamton, N.Y.) to cut the deficit to just two. The Blue would regain the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter after Greenthal knocked down a pair of free throws. Windross would hit a huge three-pointer from the corner with seven seconds left in the third and Wellesley led it 41-39. Leading by just one in the midst of the fourth, Windross and Hirn scored in consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 55-48. With Nichols applying full court pressure, Windross found Morakis up ahead who caught the pass and finished with an and-one. The bucket gave Wellesley its biggest lead of the game at 58-51 with just 1:52 to play. Nichols would quickly shift the momentum and use a 9-1 run in the final 1:30 to eventually take the lead. Wellesley had a chance at the end but couldn't convert as the Bison squeaked out the 61-59 victory.

Wellesley shot over 40% as a team for the third straight game and finished 25-of-58 as a team. The Blue were dominant on the glass, outrebounding the Bison 56-40 in the contest. Nichols forced the Blue into 40 turnovers and scored 29 points off them.

Wellesley will hit the road for the first time this season in a matchup with Nichols on Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00 PM. Rivier will play at Maine Farmington on Friday, November 19 at 7:30 PM.