All-Time Series & Streaks
The Bison have now won six in a row against the Seahawks and trail the all-time series, 25-23.
 
Three Stars of the Game
1) Nichols senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) – scored a game-high 23 points to go along with five rebounds, four dimes, and four assists; was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line
2) Salve Regina junior Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) – recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds; also notched two assists and one steal in 35 minutes
3) Nichols senior Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) – filled the stat sheet with 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds
 
Quick Synopsis
Koumare led all scorers with 23 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 49 seconds to lift the Bison to a come-from-behind 80-74 win over Salve Regina in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Tuesday night. He was one of four Nichols student-athletes in double-figures in scoring, ahead of Horton, junior Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) (14 points), and senior Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) (12 points). Sophomore Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.) led the Seahawks with 16 points.
 
Key Stat of the Game
Nichols made 15 of its 17 free throws (88 percent) and won despite the Seahawks shooting 52 percent (30-of-58).
 
Turning Point
Having erased an earlier seven-point deficit (52-45), the Bison once again found themselves behind in the second half, this time by three (65-62) with 4:25 on the clock. A layup by Eggleston and a three-point play by Koumare (sandwiched around two free throws from Barrett Hanlon) knotted the score at 67 with 3:45 to go. Freshman and reigning CCC Rookie of the Week Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) then banged in a three from the left corner with 1:47 remaining to give Nichols the lead for good.
 
Quick Hits
-The Bison forced 18 turnovers – including six by Hanlon – while committing just seven of their own, marking the seventh time this season they have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in a game. Not surprisingly, the Bison are 6-1 in those contests.
-Nichols is 3-0 when it shoots at least 88 percent from the free throw line.
-The Seahawks outrebounded the Bison 39-30, led by Bates with 10 and senior Barrett Hanlon (Hopkinton, Mass.) with eight. Eggleston snared nine to lead Nichols.
 
Quotes
"This is a great win. Our kids competed for the entire 40 minutes. Salve is a very good team that always plays Nichols hard. We're very lucky to get this win tonight. The final two minutes, we simply made more free throws and a few more defensive plays." Nichols head coach Tom Glynn
 
"Our kids have a lot of confidence that, throughout the 40 minutes, we'll always be able to make our run. That being said, we have to get off to better starts and do a better job adjusting to our opponent's game plans." –Glynn, on coming from behind to win
 
"I thought we played pretty hard. We came out in the first half and took the lead, but we knew Salve would fight back and play hard like they always do. We had a little adversity in the second half, but we fought. We believed in each other and played Nichols basketball. We knew we were going to get it done." Nichols senior captain Christian Horton
 
Next up
Nichols (13-3, 7-2 CCC) – Saturday, January 23 vs Wentworth, 12:00 p.m.
Salve Regina (5-11, 2-7 CCC) – Saturday, January 23 @ Curry, 3:00 p.m.