Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Dec. 3) – Junior guard Damon Alston scored four of his 12 points in the final 39 seconds as the Western New England men's basketball team held on for a 64-60 victory over Nichols Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Senior guard Andre Shaw also netted 12 points as the Golden Bears gained their first win of the year in two outings in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). WNE also evened its overall record at 3-3. Nichols falls to 2-3 and 0-2 in conference play.

Western New England led 33-28 at halftime before Nichols came back to take a 40-36 lead on a layup by junior guard Justin Kuntz at the 17:15 mark.

The Golden Bears then ran off 13 consecutive points for a 49-40 advantage following a three-pointer by senior reserve guard Nick Belcastro with 9:28 remaining.

WNE maintained its nine-point margin over the next six minutes taking a 60-51 lead when Shaw sank a foul shot with 3:04 left.

The Bison charged back reeling off seven unanswered points in getting within 60-58 after sophomore forward Ryan Sheehan made a layup with 1:01 remaining.

Alston then snuck his way through the lane for layup 22 seconds later before Kuntz missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left. Alston then sank two free throws two seconds later. Nichols first year forward Joe Gallant made a basket with four seconds remaining for the final points of the game.

Western New England received a major contribution from its reserves who compiled 25 points. Sophomore forward Daniel Minto contributed nine points, nine rebounds, four steals, and a pair of blocks. Junior center James Hock added six points and five rebounds. Junior guard Jason Kulik had five points in the opening half while Belcastro tossed in all five of his points in the second period.

Sheehan led three Nichols players in double figures with 19 points. Kuntz finished with 16 points while Gallant also contributed 16 points on five-for-five shooting and a team-high eight rebounds off the bench.

Western New England shot 44.4% from the field and held a 38-27 advantage in the rebounding department. Nichols made only 39.6% of its field-goal attempts, including just 1-for-23 in three-pointers.

Nichols returns to action Tuesday night in a 7 p.m. game at Clark before traveling to sunny Florida December 20-21 for the Daytona Beach Shootout.


Story courtesy Western New England Sports Information

Box Score