DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College men's basketball team shot a blistering 57.7% from the field to help give the Bison a 105-82 victory over Endicott College in a Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at the Nichols Athletic Center in Dudley, Mass. on Wednesday night.
 
The Bison shot 41-of-71 in the game, while knocking down 15-of-35 (42.9%) of their triples in the win. In the first half alone, Nichols knocked down 24-of-36 (66.7%) of their shots and 10-of-18 (55.6%) of their three-pointers to take a 64-35 lead into the break.
 
Sophomore DeAnte Bruton led the way for the Bison with 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Senior Daequon Antoine added 22 points, knocking down five triples, to go with a team-high seven rebounds two assists and three steals. Junior Marcos Echevarria poured in 21 points and handed out a team-best seven assists while grabbing six rebounds.
 
Sophomore Jerome Cunningham was the final player in double-figures with 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting and five rebounds, while freshman Nate Tenaglia knocked down two three-pointers for six points.
 
Endicott had four players in double-figures, led by 13 points and four rebounds from sophomore Keith Brown. Brown, the nation's fourth-leading scorer coming into Wednesday night's game at 32.7 points per game, was held to just 4-of-13 shooting to go with two assists.
 
Juniors Joe Shehadi and Nick Thibeault added 12 points apiece, with junior Rob O'Brien rounding out the leading scorers with 10 points on the night.  Senior Joel Villa pulled down a team-best eight rebounds to go with eight points and five assists, while freshman Matt McDevitt registered nine points, four rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
 
Endicott was held to 27-of-61 (44.3%) shooting from the field and the connected on 13-of-33 (39.4%) of their three-pointers as well as 15-of-18 (83.3%) of their free throws. The Bison held a 38-28 advantage in rebounding, while the Gulls committed only one less turnover (12) than the Bison (13).
 
The first half started out as a barn-burner as the teams traded baskets until a three-point play from Echevarria put the Bison ahead 27-26 with 10:19 remaining. That play would spark a 19-1 run over the next five minutes of action to put Nichols in front 45-26 with 5:39 to play in the half. A three-pointer from Brown would trim the lead back to 45-30, but the Bison were undeterred, ending the period with a 19-5 stretch to take a 64-35 lead into halftime.
 
Bruton, Antoine, and Echevarria had 16 points apiece at the half, while Jerome Cunningham netted 10 points in the opening period.
 
Out of the break, Endicott started to chip away as a free throw from Villa made it a 71-50 game with 14:52 remaining. Two minutes later a triple from Brown kept it a 21-point game at 76-55, but a quick 7-0 spurt from the Bison – including five points from Bruton – put the Bison back on top, 83-55 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
 
After a three-point play from Thibeault pulled the Gulls to 85-61, Nichols used another run as a jumper from Bruton, a monster dunk from junior Josiah Kimball and a triple from Antoine forced an Endicott timeout with 7:44 to play and the home team on top 92-61.
 
Another three-point play from Echevarria at the 4:22 mark would ice the game for the home team as both teams emptied their benches with the Bison on top 103-71. Endicott would end the game on a 9-2 run, but it was too little too late as Nichols held on for the 105-82 victory.  
 
All-Time Series
Wednesday night marked the 30th meeting between the two programs, and Endicott leads the all-time series, 18-11. The two teams have split the last eight matchups, including meetings in last year's CCC Championship game as well as the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, and Nichols has won three-straight at home in the series.
 
Next Games
Nichols (4-1, 1-0 CCC) – Saturday, Dec. 2 vs. Gordon, 3:00 p.m.
Endicott (2-2, 0-1 CCC) – Saturday, Dec. 2 vs. Curry, 3:00 p.m.