BRISTOL, R.I. –The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team opened up the 2007-08 Commonwealth Coast Conference with a loss to Nichols College Saturday afternoon, as the Hawks were defeated by a 45-69 score.

 

The Bison were led by the shooting of sophomore guard Curtia Humbert (Bridgeport, Conn.) who finished with 16 points. Junior guard MaryLynn Skarzenski (Hopelawn, N.J.) added nine points and eight rebounds for Nichols.

 

The Hawks fell victim to a poor shooting performance, going 27.6% from the field. The 16 field goals made were the fewest for the Hawks this season.

 

RWU held an early 7-4 lead four minutes into the game, with the Bison eventually tying the game at 15 with six minutes to play in the first half. A 19-5 run to close the period out put Nichols ahead 34-20 going into the second half.

 

The Bison continued to put the offensive pressure on RWU early in the period, jumping out to a 60-27 lead in the opening eight minutes. The double-digit advantage for Nichols held over the remainder of the game.

 

Caitlin McNabb (Springfield, Mass.) finished with ten points, seven rebounds, and four blocks for the Hawks, with Gwen Luke (Swampscott, Mass.) adding three points and seven boards in 17 minutes of action.

 

Roger Williams (4-7, 0-1 TCCC) head up to Springfield Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with Western New England College, while Nichols (9-4, 1-0 TCCC) hosts Endicott Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.