DUDLEY, MASS. 12/7/2006- Thge Keene State College women's basketball team held off a late Bison rally to post a 59-55 non-conference win over Nichols College in Dudley, Mass. on Thursday.
The Nichols rallied back from a 14-point deficit, getting to within one, 52-51, with 3:23 left to play but Keene State was able to hold on for the win. Senior Sarah Begnoche (Millville, MA) scored a game-high 15 points along with a game-high seven rebounds in the win for Keene State, which improves to 5-1 overall. Sophomore MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, NJ) led the Bison, who drop to 3-4 on the season, with 13 points and four assists on the night.
Keene State went up by as many as 14 points in the first half but Nichols got the lead down to single digits with five unanswered points heading into halftime, 35-26. The Owls re-took a 14 point lead early in the second half but an 8-0 run got the Bison to within six, 42-36, with 14:30 remaining. Nichols continued to chip away at the Owls lead, eventually making it a two-point contest thanks to an offensive put-back by freshman Margaret Lilly (Ashfield, MA).
After Keene State jumped the lead back to seven, Nichols once again went on the attack, this time getting to within one point with a 6-0 run. That was as close as the Bison would get, however, as the Owl defense didn't allow for many good looks at the basket in the final three minutes of the game.
Nichols had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead when it got the ball back off a turnover with 17 seconds left. The Bison were then called for steps as well on a close call which could have gone down as a foul, ending their chances for a victory.
Sophomore Michele Boudreau (Readsboro, Vt.) and freshman Nicole Simmler (Oxford, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points each for the Owls. It was a season high for Simmler, who was playing close to home.
"I though several of our freshman, especially Nicole Simmler stepped up for us tonight," said KSC Coach Keith Boucher. "Without their contribution, we don't win this game."
Junior Kristina Weasel (Wakefield, RI) and senior Stacey Hejwosz (Dudley, MA) chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Both Hejwosz and Lilly hauled down a team-high six rebounds.
The Owls return home on Saturday for a Little East game against UMass-Dartmouth (1 p.m.).
