BRISTOL, R.I. –? The No. 1 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), Roger Williams defeated No. 8 Nichols in the CCC Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday evening in the Campus Rec Center, 105-62.
Katie Galligan (Pembroke, Mass.) led the team in scoring with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, finishing just shy of a triple double. Other players who earned points in double figures are Caroline Elie (Rockland, Mass.), Lizzy Stevenson (Bedford, N.H.), and Kendi Barnard (Bedford, N.H.) who also pulled down seven rebounds and added two blocks and two steals on the defensive side. Nikki Rosa (Nahant, Mass.) had six points while dishing out 10 assists in the contest.
For Nichols, Abrianna Vazquez led the Bison in scoring with 20 points. Leandra Ortiz added nine points and three steals and Hadley Houghton put in eight points and pulled down a pair of boards.
Nichols' Abrianna Vazquez started scoring for the game, sinking a three-pointer. Galligan followed suit, putting up a three-pointer of her own to put the Hawks on the board. Play was close between the two teams in the beginning of the frame with Elie adding points by way of layup before the Bison sank another three-pointer. Halfway through the quarter the teams were even at 10-10. A jumper put in by Sophie Araneo (Branford, Conn), followed by layups by Galligan and Rosa respectively, propelled the Hawks ahead. Roger Williams was up 24-14 going into the second quarter.
Moments into the second frame, the Hawks scored with Galligan sinking yet another layup. The Bison scored from a three-pointer before Barnard put in a jumper. Roger Williams steadily widened the gap between them and Nichols, scoring from 10 layups in the second quarter. The Hawks led 47-35 at the end of the first half.
Going into the second half, the Hawks scored twice before the Bison were able to put in a basket. Roger Williams scored a total of 37 points in the third quarter.
Giana Pye (Wallingford, Conn.) closed scoring for the Hawks on a layup. Roger Williams led Nichols in fastbreak points, 23-16, points off turnovers, 25-14, and points in the paint, 80-32.
Roger Williams (23-3, 18-0 CCC) will play in the CCC Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 23 in the Campus Rec Center. The Hawks will face Western New England in a 6 pm tilt, with the winner advancing to the CCC Championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25.
