Box Score

DUDLEY, Mass. - Senior Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) poured in a game-high 26 points to propel the Nichols College men's basketball team to an 81-60 win over the University of New England in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action Thursday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Sophomore Marlon Bennett (Stratford, Conn.) came off the bench to score 17 points as the Bison snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 13-11 (8-9 CCC) on the season. Bennett knocked down five 3-point field goals while Sheehan drained four of his own; overall, the Bison shot 14-of-31 from behind the arc (44 percent).

Senior Alex Alsadi (Scottsdale, Ariz.) led the Nor'easters (5-19, 4-13 CCC) with 11 points to go along with five rebounds and a pair of steals off the bench. Freshman Devin Thompson (Winthrop, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Trailing by one at the break, the Bison scored the first 12 points of the second half to open up an 11-point lead at 44-33. Sheehan started the run with a layup, followed by a triple from senior Craig Merrick (Ledyard, Mass.), a pair of free throws and a three from Sheehan, and a fast-break layup from freshman Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.).

Midway through the second half, Bennett caught fire, burying three-consecutive three's to help Nichols open up a 15-point lead at 63-48. Sheehan's fourth triple of the night pushed the lead to 18 with 5:55 on the clock, and Merrick's third 3-pointer of the night made it 74-52 less than 30 seconds later. Overall, Nichols shot a scorching 67 percent in the second half (18-of-27).

“It's really important to win on senior night,” said first-year head coach Jeff Lindgren, who saw his three seniors – Merrick, Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, Conn.), and Kyle Mascilak (Sparta, N.J.) – honored prior to the start of the contest. “The seniors have done a great job to get us to where we are. I told our team that if they were going to play for anyone tonight, to play for them. They've been leaders on and off the court for us. We shot the ball well tonight, and we need to do that to win. That's who we are.”

The Nor'easters held a one-point lead at halftime (33-32) behind seven points from sophomore Jake Abel (Fairfield, Calif.) and six from junior Jordan Ferreira (Nantucket, Maine). The visitors shot 52 percent from the field in the opening half and held a 17-13 edge on the glass. Sheehan paced the Bison with 12 points. Each team connected on six 3-pointers in the stanza.

The Bison finished the night shooting 55 percent, compared to 47 percent for the Nor'easters. The home team forced 23 turnovers while committing only 13, and picked up assists on two-thirds of their baskets (20 assists on 30 field goals). Merrick finished what is likely the final home game of his collegiate career with nine points while Mascilak had eight points and Kuntz went for four points and two assists.

The Bison close out the 2012-13 regular season on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. contest at Gordon. The Nor'easters head to Springfield on Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest at Western New England.