Statistics

DUDLEY, Mass. -- Nichols College began the 2nd period with a 38 points in less than nine minutes to pull away from the University of New England, recording a 116-85 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3) at the NC Athletic Center.

The Bison led by as many as 14 in the 1st half, but only sat on a 44-40 edge at the break. During what proved to be the deciding stretch, that established an 82-56 cushion, Marcos Echevarria and DeAnte Bruton combined to out-score the Nor'easters by six (22-16) on their own.

Bruton and Echevarria each splashed five three-pointers to end with 25 and 20 points, respectively. Bruton added eight rebounds to his line, and Echevarria dished out six assists. Jerome Cunnigham had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Nate Tenaglia contributed another 18 points. Tyler Dion tallied 11 points.

Nichols (18-3) maintains its two-game lead atop the CCC standings with the result, improving to 12-2. The Bison earned the season split with UNE (9-12, 7-7 CCC) by shooting 47 percent from the field and hitting 14 attempts from deep, while out-scoring the Nor'easters by 16 at the line (34-18). The hosts also won the turnover battle, notching 31 points during the 23 times their opponent lost possession.

Alex Kravchuk guided UNE with 12 points before fouling out. Ryan Matthews and Daron Hoges, Jr. recorded 10 points apiece, and Matt Lorman had nine.

The outing started UNE's participation in the national Coaches vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge, which raises funds in support of the American Cancer Society. Fans can continue to join the team's PLEDGE IT campaign and donate for every made 3-pointer. The Nor'easters were slightly below their season average with 13 treys on Saturday; they have four regular-season and as many as three conference tournament games remaining to factor in the challenge.

Big Blue will be at Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.).