Bison get back on track with 79-67 win at Eastern Nazarene

Nichols 79, Eastern Nazarene 67
Quincy, Mass. – Lahue Physical Education Center
Saturday, January 9, 2016

All-Time Series & Streaks
The Bison ran their win streak to four against the Lions and now lead the all-time series, 19-14.

Three Stars of the Game
1) Nichols senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) – scored a team-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists, and three steals  
2) Nichols junior Nate Tardy (Moodus, Conn.) – tied his career-high in both points (15) and rebounds (nine); also blocked two shots in 26 minutes
3) Eastern Nazarene senior Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) – poured in a game-high 19 points (6-of-12 FG) and also collected five boards, four steals, and two dimes

Key Stat of the Game
The Bison – who trailed at the half – shot 56 percent in the second half (20-of-36). Koumare canned six of his eight second-half field goal attempts and finished the half with 15 points.

Turning Point
With the score tied at 38 four minutes into the second half, Nichols went on an 18-7 run to open up a 13-point lead (56-43) midway through the stanza. Koumare and Tardy each netted five during the run while senior Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) and freshman Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) each had a pair of baskets. The Nichols lead never fell below eight the rest of the way.

Quick Hits
-Both schools grabbed 39 rebounds as Tardy paced Nichols with nine and senior Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.) pulled down seven to lead the Lions.
-The Lions shot 46 percent for the game (25-of-57) while Nichols knocked down 41 percent of its shots (30-of-74).
-Nichols turned 19 Eastern Nazarene turnovers into 26 points as Koumare and senior Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) each had three steals.
-Echevarria finished with 16 points for Nichols while Eggleston – who reached the 1,000 point mark for his career on Thursday – had 13 points.
-Gomes finished with 16 points and was the only other ENC student-athletes to reach double figures in scoring.