Box Score

DUDLEY, Mass. – Junior Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) poured in 39 points and sophomore Matt Langadas (Casco, Maine) added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Nichols College men's basketball team knocked off Westfield State 88-74 in non-conference action Wednesday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Sophomore Marlon Bennett (Stratford, Conn.) chipped in with 11 points off the bench as the Bison (5-4) opened the New Year with their second-straight win. Sheehan – who entered the contest third in the nation in scoring at 26.9 ppg – went 13-of-19 from the field and knocked down seven of his 10 three-point attempts. In the process, he moved into 12th place in scoring all-time at Nichols with 1,229 points.

Nichols entered the contest shooting just 63.4 percent from the free throw line, but rattled in 25-of-30 attempts against the Owls, who arrived in Dudley with just one loss through their first 10 games of the season. The Bison also drained 13 triples (43.4 pct.) while Westfield State made just 3-of-26 from behind the arc. The Owls held a 51-39 edge on the glass as the trio of senior Ryan White (Philadelphia, Pa.), senior Lee Vazquez (Woonsocket, R.I.) and sophomore Grant Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) combined for 35, led by 13 from Cooper.

“We struggled in our first few practices coming back from the break, but this win is all on the student-athletes,” said Nichols first-year head coach Jeff Lindgren. “They really played well. Losing our starting point guard at halftime (Jesse Michaud) could have been goodnight for us, but they stuck together. I've never had a team compete so hard.”

Cooper led Westfield State with 26 points on 12-of-18 from the floor while White added 17 points and Vasquez registered 10 points and three assists. The Owls missed 12 of their 21 free throw attempts and turned the ball over 17 times, compared to 16 for the Bison.

The Bison took their first lead of the game at 4-2 on a basket by Sheehan and led throughout the first half, taking a 40-36 lead to the locker room. Sheehan netted 22 points to lead all scorers while Bennett and senior Craig Merrick (Ledyard, Conn.) each scored six. Cooper led the Owls with 13 points and seven boards through the first 20 minutes of action.

Westfield State took its first lead since the opening moments of the game at 49-48 on a three by Vazquez four minutes into the second half. Less than three minutes later, Merrick banged in his third three-pointer of the game to put the Bison ahead for good, 55-53. The lead swelled to as many as nine following a pair of free throws by Langadas with 6:49 on the clock before a 15-8 run brought the visitors to within two with 2:41 remaining in the half. Cooper sparked the run with five points, including an and-1 layup to close the run.

Nichols answered with another three from Sheehan to push its lead back to five, then sank nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. The Owls, meanwhile, missed their final seven field goal attempts and finished the contest shooting 39 percent.

“We had a shoot around this morning where we all made 50 free throws,” said Lindgren. “We've been stressing the importance of it, so I am super proud of them for tonight's performance at the line.”

Merrick finished with nine points on three 3-point field goals while senior Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, Conn.) handed out six assists and Bennett tallied three steals. Senior Matt Devine (Pembroke, Mass.) filled the stat sheet for Westfield State with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 24 minutes before fouling out with 2:54 remaining.

The Bison return to action on Saturday with a 2 p.m. home contest against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Wentworth. The Owls head to Salem State for a 3 p.m. contest on Saturday.