DUDLEY, Mass. – The 25^th-ranked Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team staved off a valiant effort by Nichols College Saturday afternoon, picking up an 82-71 win over the Bison.
 
Hawk Highlights
Caroline Elie: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
Sam Mancinelli: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
Kendi Barnard: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
Sophie Araneo: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
 
For The Opponents
Abrianna Vazquez: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Leandra Ortiz: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Jillian Spillane: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Summer Klein: 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
 
How It Happened
Summer Klein (Stamford, Conn.) gave Nichols a quick 2-0 lead with a jumper a minute into the game. Karli Opalka (Southbury, Conn.) and Kendi Barnard (Bedford, N.H.) responded with back-to-back layups to help spark a 13-0 run for Roger Williams over the next three minutes. A basket by Caroline Elie (Rockland, Mass.) later gave the Hawks their largest lead of the game, a 21-7 advantage with 3:10 left in the opening quarter. RWU would eventually take a 26-13 lead into the second.
 
Nichols fared slightly better in the second quarter, putting up 21 points in the period. Yet the Hawks essentially went shot for shot with the Bison in the period, dropping 21 points of their own. RWU's lead hovered between 13 and 18 for the quarter, and Roger Williams would go into halftime leading 47-34.
 
The Bison made a run in the third quarter to get back in the game. Trailing 36-51, Nichols rolled off an 11-2 run capped off by a fastbreak bucket by Abrianna Vazquez (Dedham, Mass.) to pull within six. Vazquez later made it a four-point game (52-56) with a short jumper with just over a minute left. However, the Hawks scored the final five points of the period to go up by nine entering the fourth.
 
The Bison would not be deterred in the fourth. After a basket by Sophie Araneo (Branford, Conn.), Nichols used a 9-1 run to make it a three-point game (61-64). Yet the Hawks would not allow Nichols to complete the comeback, answering with a 9-2 run of their own to go back up by double digits with 5:44 remaining. Nicholas made one last push to pull within seven with just under four minutes left. Yet RWU's defense held the Bison to just four points the rest of the way to hold on for the win.
 
What's Next
Roger Williams (10-0, 5-0 CCC): Wednesday, January 12 vs. Salve Regina @ 5:30pm
Nichols (6-7, 2-4 CCC): Wednesday, January 12 at Endicott @ 5:30pm