DUDLEY, Mass. (11/11/23) – The Nichols College men's basketball team made it two-for-two in their season opening home stand with a 93-83 victory over Bridgewater State University in non-conference action at the Nichols Athletic Center on Saturday evening.

The win brings the Bison season record up to 2-0, while the Bears drop to 1-1.

It was another sensational night for senior guard Tavon Jones, who led Nichols with a career-best 34 points, including 14 made free throws, along with five rebounds and three assistsin the winning effort. Fellow senior Mykel Derring was also front-and-center for the Bison, tallying 26 points with a career-best tying seven baskets from behind the arc, along with six rebounds and three assists. Both Jones and Derring also collected four steals apiece, while junior Dominic Mello also broke into double figures with 11 points scored. As a team, the Bison shot 31-of-70 (44.3%) from the field and scored a whopping 30 points off Bridgewater turnovers.

The opening half was a game of scoring runs between the Bears and Bison. After Bridgewater State climbed out to a 15-7 lead through the first eight minutes of play, Nichols flipped the script with an 11-2 run to gain the lead 18-17 advantage, highlighted by three consecutive three pointers by Derring. Over the course of the next five minutes, the lead would swap four more times before the Bears found their rhythm late in the frame, which resulted in Bridgewater carrying a fragile 45-41 lead into the break.

Despite falling further behind to start the second half, the Bison ended up having the better of the final 20 minutes of action. With under 10-minutes to play in the half, and the Bison trailing 65-64, Mykel Derring continued to rain down from three-point range with another three consecutive baskets, catapulting the Bison into the lead by a 73-67 margin. From there, the Bison never looked back as the lead continued to grow throughout the rest of the half, with the help of multiple trips to the free throw line, granting them their second straight victory by a 93-83 score.

The Bison hit the road for the first time in 2023-24 with a matchup at The University of Saint Joseph-Connecticut (2-0, 0-0 GNAC) on Tuesday, November 14^th. Coverage of the contest is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM from the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium.