WORCESTER, Mass. (12/29/24) – The Nichols College men's basketball program resumed play on Sunday in the opening night of the Clark University Holiday Tournament, falling to non-conference opponent St. Lawrence University by a 66-56 score inside Hurst Courts.

The Bison now sit at 3-6 (1-2 CNE) with the loss.

Junior guard Javen Flowers-Smith was one of two Bison to score in double figures, registering 19 points on 6-of-20 (30.0%) shooting with five rebounds. Senior forward Ryan Savoy additionally stood out with a 17-point performance, alongside seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

St. Lawrence owned a 9-4 lead after the first four minutes of the contest, but Nichols stormed back with an impressive 11-2 run to jump in front 15-11. The Bison then extended their first half lead to six points on a Savoy layup with 5:02 to play, before closing out the half with a 10-0 spurt to carry a 33-22 lead into the break, capped by an Ethan Minarik triple with three seconds left.

Despite trailing the Bison by 11 points heading into the second half, St. Lawrence returned the favor with a strong opening 10 minutes where they outscored Nichols by a 25-14 margin, tying the score at 47-47. The Saints then claimed the lead back on a made free throw shortly thereafter, moments before Savoy drew the and-one on a made jumper to move Nichols back in front by two. As play continued, both teams remained within five points of each other, until the Saints ended the contest with eight unanswered points to claim the 66-56 win.

Nichols will now turn their attention to the second day of the tournament, where they will face No. 10 ranked Tufts University (10-1, 0-0 NESCAC) on Monday for a 4:00 PM tip off right back at Hurst Courts.