Nichols 100, University of New England 66
Dudley, Mass. – Nichols Athletic Center
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
All-Time Series & Streaks
The Bison improved to 18-5 all-time against the Nor'easters and ran their regular season win streak against the rivals from the north to 11.
Three Stars of the Game
1) Nichols freshman Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) – led all scorers with 25 points (21 in first half) to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and one steal
2) Nichols senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) – registered 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 31 minutes
3) Nichols senior captain Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) – filled the stat sheet with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field; also notched four rebounds, two assists, and two steals
Nichols made eight of its first nine shots and finished the game shooting 48 percent to score a 100-66 win over the Nor'easters in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Tuesday night. Echevarria led four student-athletes in double-figures in scoring with 25 points while Eggleston netted 20, Koumare went for 17, and junior Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) finished with 14. Junior Jean-Luc Parker (Georgetown, Texas) paced the Nor'easters with 10 points.
Key Stat of the Game
The Bison scored 22 points off 19 UNE turnovers.
Turning Point
Nichols outscored the Nor'easters 24-12 over the final 8:28 of the first half to open up a 23-point halftime lead (51-28). Koumare banged a pair of triples and scored eight points during the run while Echevarria had seven. The lead never dipped below 22 points the rest of the way.
Quick Hits
-The Bison held a 44-38 edge on the glass, led by Koumare and classmate Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) with seven apiece. Junior CJ Autry (Standish, Maine) and sophomore Drew Coveney (Londonderry, N.H.) each pulled down five for UNE.
-Horton also handed out a game-high seven dimes. Six different student-athletes for the Nor'easters had one.
-Stallings also racked up six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in 23 minutes for Nichols.
-Coveney finished with nine points and one steal. Classmate Gary Dibble (Greenport, N.Y.) netted eight points.
"This is a program game for us. Our seniors and returning student-athletes really wanted this one badly. We shot the ball great in the first half and our defense was right on point. It carried over into the second half. UNE is a very good team who we will probably play two more times this year, so we have more challenges ahead of us." Nichols head coach Tom Glynn
"I mentioned to (UNE head coach) Ed Silva before the game that I thought he was doing an exceptional job with that program. They are 8-5 right now and played a tough non-conference schedule. They beat two NESCAC schools. They are right there in the top four or five in our league. They have very good players and they continue to get better every year." – Glynn, on the Nor'easters
Nichols (10-3, 4-2 CCC) – Thursday, January 14 vs Gordon, 7:30 p.m.
UNE (8-5, 3-3 CCC) – Thursday, January 14 vs Eastern Nazarene, 7:30 p.m.