DUDLEY, Mass. – Junior captain Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) scored a team-high 18 points in Nichols College's 70-64 loss to Springfield College in non-conference men's basketball action Friday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Junior Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) played all 40 minutes and filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while sophomore Jared Thompson (Scituate, R.I.) came off the bench and knocked down four triples to finish with a career-high 12 points for Nichols (5-4). Senior captain Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) finished with 10, but struggled in the second half, going 1-of-8 from the floor over the final 20 minutes.
Senior Sean Martin (Rindge, N.H.) poured in a game-high 19 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 36 minutes for the Pride (6-3), who shot 51 percent (25-of-49) and rattled in 17 of their 18 free throws. Junior Josh Downes (East Sandwich, Mass.) chipped in with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting while freshman Brandon Eckles (East Greenwich, R.I.) went for 10 points.
Junior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.H.) opened the contest with a triple, and the Bison held the lead throughout the first 12 minutes of the half behind 10 points from Eggleston. Springfield outscored Nichols 14-9 over the final eight minutes and took a 33-31 lead to the locker room. Both teams canned over 40 percent of their shots through the opening 20 minutes. Downes paced the Pride with 10 points while both Martin and senior Josh Altman (Rockport, Mass.) scored six. Eggleston led Nichols with 12.
The Bison regained the lead at 39-37 on a three from Horton four minutes into the second half. Senior Joe Gallant (Salem, N.H.) followed with a layup that gave Nichols a four-point edge. A layup by Downes put the Pride up three at 13:19 before Thompson made a pair of three-pointers, the second of which tied the game at 51 midway through the stanza.
Springfield responded with a 12-4 run to move in front by seven (66-52) with 4:15 remaining in the half. Two more three's from Thompson sandwiched around two free throws from Martin brought the Bison to within three (64-61) with 3:15 to go, and two free throws from Eggleston at 2:09 made it a one-point game at 64-63. Martin responded with a layup to put his team back up three, and the Bison went scoreless on their next two possessions, forcing them to foul. Martin and Downes each sank a pair in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
The Bison outrebounded the Pride 35-31. Springfield scored 40 of its 70 points in the paint and held Nichols to 9-of-34 from behind the arc. It also scored 16 points off 15 Bison turnovers. Gallant led Nichols with four steals.
The Bison return to action on January 3 with a 1 p.m. contest at Kean University. The Pride host Regis (MA) Friday, January 2 in the first round of the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic.