BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Nichols College men's basketball team had its five-game winning-streak snapped at the hands of the University of New England on Monday night as the Nor'easters defeated the Bison 99-85 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action.
 
The Bison dip to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the CCC, while the Nor'easters improve to 8-9 and 6-4 in league games. Nichols is back in action Wednesday night when they travel to Endicott College for a conference matchup at 7:30 p.m.
 
Sophomore Tyler Dion scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Bison, while freshman Nate Tenaglia, junior Marcos Echevarria, and sophomore Kash Jackson added 15 points apiece. Tenaglia added a pair of assists in his first career start, while Echevarria had four rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Jackson registered five rebounds and four assists, and sophomore Jerome Cunningham pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
12 of the 14 players who checked into the game for UNE scored at least two points, led by 21 points, four rebounds, and five steals from freshman Alex Kravchuk. Sophomore Jackson McCoy joined him in double-figures with 13 points, while freshman Matt Hobbs and senior Gavin Dibble netted nine points apiece.
 
The Bison were held to their second-worst field goal percentage of the season as Nichols only connected on 36.3% (29-of-80) of its attempts. Nichols hit 35.7% (10-of-28) of its threes and 81% (17-of-21) of its free throws in the setback. The Nor'easters buried 44.2% (34-of-77) of their shots, as well as 40.6% (13-of-32) of its triples, and 72% (18-of-25) of its free throws. UNE held a 49-45 advantage in rebounding, and committed 19 turnovers to 21 for the Bison.
 
It was tough sledding to start the game as it was tied 2-2 until the 16:50 mark of the first half when Nate Tenaglia connected from beyond the arc. Kash Jackson eventually put the Bison in front 16-11 with back-to-back baskets, and a layup by the sophomore gave Nichols a 20-15 advantage with 8:45 to play. UNE answered with five-straight points to tie the game, and the Nor'easters took their first lead of the contest on a three-pointer by senior Drew Coveney with 6:23 remaining.
 
Echevarria answered a three from Matt Hobbs to give Nichols a 31-29 lead, and a three-pointer from Dion staked the Bison to a 34-29 lead. UNE had the answer again, ending the half on 10-3 run to carry a 39-37 edge into the half.
 
Back-to-back threes from Echevarria and Dion gave the Bison an early 45-42 advantage in the second half, and another three from Dion extended the lead to 48-42 with 16:23 to play. A jumper from senior Daequon Antoine kept the Bison in front 50-44, and the Nor'easters responded with a 19-5 run over the next six minutes to take a 63-55 lead and force a Nichols timeout with 9:32 remaining.
 
Antoine ended the run with another jumper, but UNE kept up the pressure on offense and extended it to a 36-8 stretch to take an 80-60 lead with 5:11 to play.
 
Nichols would not quit however, as a three-pointer from Dion trimmed the deficit to 84-69 with 3:06 to play. A Tenaglia jumper kept Nichols within 90-77, and three-pointer from the freshman with 26 seconds remaining made it a 10-point game at 95-85. UNE would tack on four more free throws down the stretch to give the game its final score of 99-85.
 
All-Time Series
Nichols and UNE met for the 28th time in program history, and the Bison lead the all-time series 22-5. The Nor'easters snapped a five-game losing-streak to the Bison with the win.