BIDDEFORD, Maine -- Nichols College outscored the University of New England 38-24 in the second half to open up a six-point halftime advantage and take 77-57 Commonwealth Coast Conference men's basketball win Saturday afternoon (Jan. 11) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

Junior guard Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points for the Bison. All of his points came in the first half on a 6-for-9 shooting performance. Senior guard Sam Horning (Falmouth, Maine) and sophomore guard Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) had 11 points apiece for the Bison (8-4, 5-1 CCC), who have won five of six.

For UNE (1-12, 1-5), senior forward Joshua Butler (Nantucket, Mass.) and first-year forward Brayden Morse (Long Beach, Calif.) each scored 11 points. The duo also accounted for 17 rebounds. First-year guard Justin Pollard (Cape Neddick, Maine) finished with 10 points.

Nichols started quickly, doubling up (22-11) UNE over the initial nine minutes. Horning poured in all 11 of his points during that stretch, including three 3-point field goals.

The Bison continued to build on their cushion, establishing a 34-19 margin on a free throw by Langadas with 7:08 on the clock.

The Nor'easters responded by completing the half on a 14-5 run to close to within six (39-33). First-year Andy Kalu (Randolph, Mass.) ignited a 10-point spurt with a trey, and UNE tightened the defense to limit Nichols to a pair of field goals the rest of the way.

The second half saw the two teams trade baskets the first few minutes before Nichols reeled off 11 consecutive points in less than three minutes to take a 52-37 lead with 14:06 remaining. Sophomore guard Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) contributed five of the 11 points with a three-pointer and two foul shots.

Nichols would maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

The Bison shot a solid 44.9 percent (22 of 49) for the afternoon, including 37.5 percent (9 of 21) marksmanship from beyond the arc. UNE was just 7 of 28 (25 percent) from the floor after intermission to finish at 32.7 percent (18 of 55) for the game.

Each team returns to action Wednesday (Jan. 15) with CCC road games. UNE travels to Gordon College, while Nichols plays at Endicott College. Both contests are slated to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.