DUDLEY, Mass. - January 24, 2009 - The Colby-Sawyer Chargers suffered their first conference defeat of the season on Saturday in a 59-40 loss to Nichols. The Bison, now 14-2 overall and 5-0 in TCCC play, have won 13 straight games. Colby-Sawyer drops to 10-6 overall and 4-1 in conference action after seeing its five-game win streak snapped.

Nichols was paced by 14 points and six rebounds from sophomore guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.). Senior point guard MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, N.J.) added 13 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and a pair of steals, while sophomore Michele Guerin (Chicopee, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Junior forward Terri Duffy (Marshfield, Mass.) led the Chargers with a double-double, scoring 12 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds, eight of which came on the defensive boards in the first half. This was her second straight double-double and her fifth of the season.

The teams traded leads eight times in the early going, with Nichols taking a four-point lead at the 13:02 mark on a Skarzenski three-pointer before Kali Coleman (Portsmouth, N.H.) responded with one of her own on the next possession.

After a pair of Duffy free throws and an Erin Clarke (Henniker, N.H.) layup, the Chargers built their lead to three, 14-11, less than two minutes later, but Nichols rallied back to carry a 27-23 lead into the locker room after shooting 36.7% in the half.

Nichols opened the half on a 14-4 run, holding a 41-27 lead midway through the half. A pair of Maggie Rossi (Fairhaven, Mass.) free throws cut the Bison's lead to 12 before Nichols extended its lead to 19 on a 9-2 run.

The Bison finished the night shooting 39.7% from the field while holding the Chargers to 23.1% in field goal attempts. Nichols held a slim advantage in rebounds, 45-43, including a 37-29 edge on the defensive glass, but Colby-Sawyer converted 13 second-chance points to Nichols' nine.

Colby-Sawyer will play at Eastern Nazarene on Thursday, January 29 at 5:30 p.m.