DUDLEY, Mass. (2/3/24) – Freshman forward Jason Ofcarcik made program history with another perfect performance from the field to lead the Nichols College men's basketball team to a dominant 92-56 win over the University of New England on Saturday afternoon.

The Bison extend their win streak to 12 consecutive games, improving to 18-3 (11-1 CCC) with the victory. The Nor'easter drop to 5-16 (0-13 CCC).

Following his 8-of-8 shooting performance against Endicott earlier this week, Ofcarcik went 9-of-9 from the field against the Nor'easters for a combined 17-of-17 (1.00%total through two games, a program record. The freshman forward finished the night with a game-high 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior Dominic Mello contributed 13 points, while freshman Simon Percy and senior Tavon Jones each added 11 apiece. The Bison shot a season-high 62.1 percent (36-fo-58) from the field, including a 50.0 percent (8-of-16) effort from behind the arc.

The Bison defense held UNE to 17.6 (6-of-34) percent shooting in the first half, which played a factor in a 47-16 lead by the intermission. Nichols ran away with the score with the half's first 13 points before UNE secured their first basket on a free throw. Down the stretch, the Bison additionally worked up a 12-0 run behind points from five separate players, which pushed their lead to 28 points at 39-11 with 4:43 left in the half. Finally, freshman Simon Percy threw down a dunk to close out the opening 20 minutes, which had the Bison in command by the 31-point margin.

The Bison' hot shooting continued in the second half, knocking down 60.7 percent of their shots from the field in the final 20 minutes. Nichols saw its largest run of 9-3 midway through the half, beginning with alternating baskets by Ofcarcik and Deshaun Nettles, and finishing with a Ty Rucker layup to make it a 68-38 ball game with 9:09 left. The difference proved too much for the Nor'easters, as the Bison stormed away with the lead to claim the 92-56 win.

The 36-point difference was the largest margin of victory for the Bison since a 100-63 win, which also came over the University of New England on January 7^th, 2023.

Men's basketball travels to Wentworth Institute of Technology (11-10, 6-6 CCC) on Tuesday, February 6^th. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.