Men's Basketball Falls to University of Saint Joseph, 77-70

Game Leaders

Nichols
Pts: Tavon Jones - 28
Reb: 2 Players (#00, #01 - 7)
Ast: 3 Players (#00, #01, #04 - 2)
St. Joseph (Conn.)
Pts: Lence Altenor - 23
Reb: Friedrich Feldrappe - 10
Ast: 4 Players (#04, #11, #14, #15 - 2)

Team Stats

Nichols
St. Joseph (Conn.)

Field Goals

(23-55)
(27-67)

Field Goal %

41.8%
40.3%

Rebounds

34
42

Assists

10
13

Turnovers

16
12

Pts off Turnovers

8
15

2nd Chance Pts

2
15

Pts in the Paint

32
38

Fastbreak Pts

6
12

Bench Pts

11
22
full stats
Nov 14, 2023

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (11/14/23) – In the first ever meeting between the two squads, the Nichols College men's basketball team was dealt a 77-70 non-conference loss following a tough battle with the University of Saint Joseph (CT) on Tuesday night at the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium.

The loss marks the first of the season for the Bison, who drop to 2-1 overall. The host Blue Jays improve to 3-0 with the win.

Two Bison reached double figures in the loss. Seniors Tavon Jones and Mykel Derring led the team with 28 and 17 points respectively, while Jones also tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven. Through the full 40-minutes of action, the Bison shot 23-of-55 (41.8%) from the field, with 11 points scored off the bench.

The host Blue Jays got off to a hot start in the opening half, but quickly relinquished an 8-2 lead to the Bison who battled back with an 15-5 run to take the lead 17-12. The comeback stretch was fueled by the first three field goal attempts of the game for Mykel Derring, which were all makes from beyond the arc to account for six of the 15 points scored. As the half continued, USJ saw a variety of chances to pull away on the scoreboard but were met again by Bison comebacks as the score found itself tied four more times. However, some late success in the half allowed the Blue Jays to take a 39-36 lead into the intermission.

The close trend continued into the second half, as both teams remained neck-and-neck through the opening 10 minutes. With the score at 55-52 USJ, both teams would go scoreless through nearly two minutes of play, before graduate Brent Kelly knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 55-all. The Blue Jays, however, countered with an 8-0 run to break their own silence, giving themselves a 63-55 edge with under five minutes to play. From then onward, the Bison would struggle to inch any closer, as USJ finished the half on free throws to seal the victory.

The Bison will look to return to the win column with a home matchup against Anna Maria College (1-1, 0-0 GNAC) on Thursday, November 16th with tipoff set for 7:00 PM at the Nichols Athletic Center.