DUDLEY, Mass. - Junior and Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Player of the Year Marcos Echevarria poured in a team-high 33 points to propel the Nichols College men's basketball team to a 98-89 win over Endicott College in the CCC Championship contest Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
The Bison improve to 25-3 overall with the win and await word on where they will be going in the NCAA Tournament when the selection show airs on Monday afternoon. Endicott ends its season at 19-9 overall.
 
Echevarria scored 25 points in the second half, while hitting 11-of-22 shots in the game, to go with four rebounds and three steals. Sophomore DeAnte Bruton scored 18 first-half points and finished the game with 27 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Senior Daequon Antoine added 14 points and five rebounds, while freshman Nate Tenaglia had 11 points, including 3-of-4 three-pointers.
 
Sophomore Tyler Dion registered eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while classmate Jerome Cunningham had four points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
 
Endicott sophomore Keith Brown led all scorers with 34 points to go with five rebounds. Senior Joel Villa added 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists, while junior Vinny Clifford knocked down 4-of-5 triples en route to 14 points and five assists. Junior Rob O'Brien rounded out the leading scorers with 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Nichols ended the game shooting 49.3% (35-of-71) from the field, 44.4% (12-of-27) from beyond the arc, and 88.9% (16-of-18) from the free throw line in the win. Endicott shot 54% (34-of-63) from the floor, 50% (12-of-24) from three, and 81.8% (9-of-11) from the charity stripe. The Gulls shot 83.3% (10-of-12) from beyond the arc in the first half, but only 16.7% (2-of-12) in the second half.
 
Rebounds were even at 33-33, while the Bison committed only seven turnovers to 14 for the visitors, which Nichols turned into 22 points off turnovers.
 
A three-pointer from Echevarria gave the Bison an early 10-5 advantage before Endicott stormed back to take a 15-14 lead with 14:51 remaining in the opening half. Vinny Clifford buried another three to keep it a 20-17 lead for the visitors, and the Gulls eventually grabbed a 24-19 lead with 11:58 remaining in the half.
 
After a basket from Rob O'Brien, Nichols used a 10-0 run capped by three free throws from Antoine to climb out to take back the lead at 35-29. The teams continued to trade baskets before a jumper from Antoine put the Bison in front 47-44 with 3:25 remaining. However, the Gulls ended the half on an 11-2 run to take a 55-49 lead into the break.
 
Endicott took its largest lead of the game early in the second half on a jumper from Brown at 57-49, and Nichols responded with a 12-4 run capped by a deep three from Tenaglia that knotted the game at 61-61 with 15:38 remaining. Back-to-back jumpers from Bruton and Echevarria staked the Bison to a 65-61 advantage, and triple from Echevarria at the 11:55 mark pushed the lead out to 71-63.
 
The Gulls would not go away as they eventually tied the game at 74-74 following a three-point play from Brown. Freshman Matt McDevitt gave the Gulls a brief 78-75 lead before Echevarria tied the game with a three. The lead changed hands several times over the next few minutes until a three-point play from Echevarria gave Nichols an 86-84 lead.
 
The junior extended the lead to 89-84 with a three, and after Brown scored for the Gulls, Echevarria scored on a beautiful backdoor cut to put Nichols in front 91-86. The Bison were able to get a stop, and Dion was fouled going up for the rebound which led to a pair of made free throws that put Nichols in front 93-86.
 
After another stop, Antoine would score on the break before Jerome Cunningham ended the game with a dunk as time expired, putting an exclamation point on the 98-89 victory and Nichols' second-straight CCC crown.
 
All-Time Series
Nichols and Endicott have met 32 times in program history and the Gulls lead the all-time series 18-14. Saturday marked the 10th meeting between the two programs since the start of the 2015 season and third matchup between the two squads in the CCC Tournament. Nichols improved to 6-4 in those 10 games and won all three matchups with the Gulls this season.