Lead Slips Away From WBB in Second Half vs. Nichols

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Nichols College erased a 12-point halftime deficit en route to a 57-51 victory at Mitchell College on Thursday night in non-conference women's basketball action at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Alexis Wegrzynek netted 14 of her game-high 19 points in the second half to lead Nichols (4-3 overall). She also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season. Brooke Packard chipped in with 15 points off the bench—all in the second half—while Amber Litwinko added 11.

Jessica Shepherd led three Mariners in double figures with 17 points and also finished with six assists, three steals and two blocks. Diamond Thomas and Amanda Garcia each contributed 14 points, and the latter grabbed 12 boards to cement her third double-double of the year.

Mitchell came out strong to start the game and built a double-digit lead over the first 10:28. Shepherd had the hot hand early and led all scorers with 13 points at the break. The Mariners led by as many as 15 in the stanza and took a 32-20 lead into the locker room at intermission.

Nichols, which shot 19 percent in the first half, used full-court pressure to jumpstart its offense in the second. The strategy paid early dividends as a 9-1 run trimmed the Mitchell lead to 37-31 with 14:45 to play, and the Bison later took their first lead of the half at 42-41 following a corner three from Packard with 9:17 to go.

The lead changed hands four times over the final 3:13 of the contest. After Garcia put the Mariners ahead by one with a jumper with 2:21 remaining, Wegrzynek put the Bison in front for good with an offensive rebound and putback and was fouled in the process. She connected on the free throw to give Nichols a 53-51 lead with 1:20 to play, and Packard followed with a key steal on the defensive end to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard. 

The Bison forced Mitchell into 14 turnovers in the second half that resulted in an 18-2 scoring advantage. Packard finished with a game-high five steals while Jessica Kelliher added three.

Mitchell (1-6 overall) will next host Johnson & Wales University on Sunday, January 4 at 1 p.m. Nichols returns to action on Thursday, December 18 at noon against Virginia Wesleyan College in the first round of the St. Thomas Classic.