Nichols 105, Becker 85
Dudley, Mass. – Nichols Athletic Center
Friday, November 13, 2015
All-Time Series & Streaks
Nichols improves to 14-2 all-time against its Worcester-area rivals. The Bison have won the last four meetings.
Three Stars of the Game
1 – Nichols freshman Marcos Echevarria (Peabody, Mass.) – scored a game-high 33 points on 9-of-15 shooting (60.0 percent) in his collegiate debut; finished 8-of-11 from behind the arc (72.7 pct.) and also racked up seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal
2 – Nichols senior Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) – filled the stat sheet with 17 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 30 minutes; played final 10 minutes with four fouls
3 – Becker sophomore Samuel Durodola (Rosedale, N.Y.) – tallied 17 points, eight boards, one assist, one blocked shot, and one steal in 20 minutes; canned 7-of-13 from the line
Quick Synopsis
Echevarria knocked down eight 3-point field goals en route to a game-high 33 points as the Bison overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Becker 105-85. They led by one at the break (49-48) before Echevarria exploded for 18 points in the second half. Senior Reginald Finney (Ansonia, Conn.) led four Hawks in double-figures with 19 points.
Key Stat of the Game
The Bison shot 56 percent from three-point land (14-of-25), led by Echevarria with eight triples and junior Jared Thompson (Scituate, R.I.) with four.
Turning Point
With the game knotted at 67 midway through the second half, Thompson keyed an 11-1 run by sinking a pair of three-pointers as Nichols opened up a 10-point lead (78-68). The lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
Quick Hits
-Freshman Nate Tardy (Moodus, Conn.) registered 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes in his collegiate debut for Nichols.
-Both programs shot 55 percent from the field (Becker 28-of-51; Nichols 34-of-62).
-Nichols turned 18 Becker turnovers into 32 points.
-Junior Taylor Sarrette (Keene, N.H.) posted a game-high three blocked shots.
-Sophomore Nafis Streeter (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior Kyle Credle (Queens, N.Y.) scored 12 and 11 points for Becker, respectively.
-The Bison held a slim 31-29 edge on the glass, led by Echevarria with seven and Sarette with five. Durodola paved the visitors with eight.
Quotes
"Becker was very good in the first half. They made a lot more plays than we did. We were in foul trouble. Some of our seniors who we relied upon heavily last season were banged up in the preseason, and our freshman (Echevarria) really bailed us out tonight. He scored 33 tonight. Christian Horton and Irving Eggleston also made big plays in the final few minutes." – Nichols head coach Tom Glynn
"He was very impressive. I told my staff at halftime that he would have to bail us out and he did. Jared Thompson was huge tonight. Those two kids stepped up tonight and made a lot of shots. – Glynn, on the play of Echevarria
"I did not. I thought I was going to come off the bench, but coach saw something else in me and started me. I just let the ball fly like he said. Once I felt hot, I kept letting it go and it kept falling. With my teammates cheering me on, I couldn't miss. I did not think I would be able to contribute this much this early, but coach just tell me to let the ball fly and that's what I did." –Nichols freshman Marcos Echevarria, on if he ever envisioned scored 33 in his first game
Next up
Nichols (1-0) – Tuesday, November 17 vs Thomas (ME), 7:00 p.m.
Becker (0-1) – Wednesday, November 18 @ Anna Maria, 7:00 p.m.