Recap
Junior Jerome Cunningham collected a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds in Nichols College's 99-79 win over Curry College Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Cunningham also recorded five steals and a pair of blocks as the Bison (16-2, 8-1 CCC) ran their win streak to five and moved into a tie with Gordon College, which dropped a 94-88 contest at Western New England this afternoon. Classmate DeAnte Bruton filled the stat sheet with 18 points, four assists, three steals, and two board while junior Kash Jackson netted 11 points in 16 minutes.
Junior Jared Thorpe-Johnson poured in a game-high 29 points (11-of-21 FG) to pace the Colonels (1-17, 0-9 CCC), who outrebounded the Bison 40-39 behind nine from Thorpe-Johnson and seven from junior Dwayne Booth. Junior Spencer Feng knocked down seven 3-pointers and finished with 21 points.
The Bison led by as many as 28 in the first half (41-13) before settling into a 57-41 lead at the break. Bruton and Cunningham each dropped in 11 points while Feng scored nine to lead CC. The Colonels got to within 15 points early in the second half following a three from Thorpe-Johnson, but a 25-12 run by the Bison – which was capped by a layup from senior Josiah Kimball at 9:57 – gave them a 29-point advantage.
Three things you need to know...
-Today's contest marked the 69th all-time meeting between Nichols College and Curry College. The Bison lead the series, 36-33, and have won the last 12 meetings.
-Cunningham's 21 points was a season-high, besting his 19-point effort against Trinity (CT) on November 25.
-Nichols forced 23 turnovers, which ties its season high set against Anna Maria on December 8.
Quote
"I thought we had a good pace offensively and did a nice job of sharing the ball." –Nichols head coach Scott Faucher
Next game
Tuesday, January 22 @ Endicott, 7:30 p.m.