Women's Basketball Triumphs Late to Beat Host Nichols College, 61-49 in Conference Play

Women's Basketball Triumphs Late to Beat Host Nichols College, 61-49 in Conference Play

DUDLEY, Mass. – The Curry College Women's Basketball Team defeated host Nichols College, 61-49 in Dudley, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.

All-Time Series & Streaks
Today's contest marked the 47th all-time meeting between Nichols and Curry. The Colonels has won the last six meetings and lead the series, 28-19.

Three Stars of the Game
1) Curry graduate student Christina Deiorio (Stoughton, Mass.) – scored a team-high 18 points and snared eight rebounds in 37 minutes

2) Nichols junior Taylor Daniels (Dudley, Mass.) – scored all 19 of her points in the second half on 6-of-10 shooting (5-of-6 3-pointers); also tallied nine rebounds and six steals

3) Curry sophomore Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) – filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, six assists, seven blocks, and two assists

Quick Synopsis
The Colonels build a 22-point halftime lead and held on for a 61-49 win over the Bison in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action. Deiorio and Rice combined for 31 points and 14 rebounds, and Curry shot 47 percent in the first half to build what proved to be an insurmountable lead. Daniels got hot in the second half for Nichols and finished with 19 while freshman and reigning CCC Rookie of the Week Amy Assad (Milton, Mass.) finished with 12, but she struggled to find her shot all afternoon (4-of-16) FG.

 Key Stats of the Game
-Nichols shot 15 percent in the first half (5-of-33).

-The Colonels won despite committing 34 turnovers – 23 of which came in the final 20 minutes.

-Nichols collected 23 steals on the afternoon, five shy of the program record of 28, which was done twice during the 1991-92 campaign.

Turning Point
The Colonels outscored the Bison 17-3 in the second quarter behind five from Deiorio and four from both both junior Allyssa Keeney (Coventry, Conn.) and freshman Emily Irwin (Billerica, Mass.). Nichols outscored Curry 36-26 in the second half, but the second quarter is what ultimately decided the game.

Quick Hits
-Curry led by as many as 27 points in the third quarter before a 32-15 Nichols run brought the Bison to within 10 points (55-45) with 5:18 to go in the fourth. Daniels sparked the run with 17 points – including five 3-pointers – while sophomore Brooke Packard (Dudley, Mass.) chipped in with seven.

-Packard also notched six steals while senior Jessica Kelliher (Marshfield, Mass.) had five and sophomore Allison Cerrato (Rockland, Mass.) registered four.

-Kelliher played all 40 minutes and posted seven rebounds, five dimes, and three points.

-Senior Kerry White (Windham, N.H.) pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Colonels and also racked up five points, four assists, and two steals.

-Curry held a 45-37 edge on the glass and finished the contest shooting 46 percent from the field (22-of-48). The Bison shot 25 percent (17-of-68).

Next up
Nichols (3-20, 2-14 CCC) – Tuesday, February 16 @ Gordon, 5:30 p.m.
Curry (11-12, 8-8 CCC) – Tuesday, February 16 @ Roger Williams, 5:30 p.m.
(Game Recap Courtesy of Nichols College Sports Information)