DUDLEY, Mass. (Feb. 22) – The Nichols College men's basketball team returns to the Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinals Thursday evening when the fourth-seeded Bison take on top-seeded Salve Regina in a 6 p.m. game at the Rodgers Recreation Center. Nichols defeated fifth-seeded Curry, 99-89, Tuesday evening in Dudley to earn its second trip to the semifinals since joining the CCC in 1995.

The Bison have met Salve Regina twice in the CCC postseason, with both meetings in Rhode Island. The two teams most recently met in a 102-99 double-overtime Salve Regina win in the 2009 quarterfinals. The Seahawks also posted a first round win in 2000, winning 81-51.

Salve Regina has won the last seven games against Nichols, including the two regular-season matchups under the CCC's new double-round robin format. The Bison squandered a 12-point deficit in the January 19th meeting in Dudley, falling 83-75, and in the Valentine's Day matchup in Newport, the Seahawks took advantage of the Bison's poor ball control in the opening half to post an 85-72 win. Nichols' last win over Salve Regina came in Newport on January 20, 2007, a 77-65 victory.

The 2011-12 Bison squad bears much resemblance to the 2002-03 team, the last from Nichols to advance to the CCC semifinals. This year's team dug itself out from an early season 2-8 hole by winning seven of 11 games after break to start its run to the playoffs. The 2002-03 team was the first to host a playoff game since the Bison joined the CCC, and was the first to post a winning season since the 1984-85 squad. Head Coach Dave Sokolnicki was in his fourth season at the helm and guided the Bison to records for three-pointers made (196) and to a record seven consecutive home wins – both of which still stand today.

The Bison are averaging 74.6 points per game, the highest total since the 2007-08 campaign, and are led by CCC First Teamer Ryan Sheehan, who will enter Thursday's semifinal 14 points away from 1,000 in just his second collegiate season. He is looking to become the first Bison to reach the 1,000 point mark in his second season since Vin Miller '82. Miller finished his career with 1,927 points and as the Bison's second all-time leading scorer. Sheehan, a forward, averages 19.4 points per game and is one of the top free throw shooters in the CCC with a 84.4% average (119-141).

Nichols' youth movement sees six freshmen on the roster, five of whom see a lot of action on the court, including starter Matt Langadas, who earned All-CCC Honorable Mention accolades earlier this week. Langadas broke into the starting lineup after the semester break, earning his first collegiate start against Salve Regina on January 19th in Dudley. He has scored in double digits in every game since and leads the league with a 54.3% field goal percentage.
The Bison's bench has proven to be a potent asset, as rookies Marlon Bennett, Jalen Graham,  Joe Gallant and Jessy Michaud have led the Nichols reserves to outscore opponents' benches by almost 10 points per game. The bench's 29 points Tuesday night helped the Bison to tie its largest postseason points total – matched only by the double-overtime game at Salve Regina in 2009.

Senior captain Michael Salis leads the team in both steals and rebounds, while on the offensive end is the top playmaker with four assists per game.
The Bison's long-range threats were key against the Colonels on Tuesday as the Bison shot a smoking 10-of-23 from three-point range, led by a 6-of-8 performance by Sheehan. Sophomore Sam Horning and newcomer Craig Merrick are key role players from long range, and both – along with Sheehan – rank within the top 15 in three-point percentage in the CCC.

Salve Regina boasts the CCC's Player and Defensive Player of the Year in graduate student Ryan Birrell. The third leading scorer in the league at 17.6 points per game, Birrell also leads the conference in assists (5.0) and steals (2.5) per game. Isiah Pringle is one of the top outside threats in the league at 38.1% from beyond the arc. As a team, Salve Regina is crafty at forcing turnovers and comes into Thursday's game after one of its lowest scoring outings of the year, a 58-47 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Western New England.

Fans who can't make it to Newport can follow the game online with Live Video and Live Stats.

Visit the Bison's Championship Central Page for all of your postseason info needs.