All-Time Series & Streaks
Today's contest marked the 34th all-time meeting between Nichols and Eastern Nazarene. The Bison extended their win streak to five over the Lions and extended their lead in the series to 20-14.
 
Three Stars of the Game
1) Nichols freshman Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) – scored a game-high 32 points – one shy of his career-high – on 9-of-14 shooting; canned eight 3-pointers and went 6-of-6 from the line
2) Nichols senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) – recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds; also dished out five assists and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line
3) Nichols junior Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) – went for 14 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes
 
Quick Synopsis
The Bison extended their school-record win streak to 14 games with an 87-80 win over the Lions in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon. Echevarria scored 22 first-half points as the Bison built an early 23-5 lead while senior Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) dropped in 17 points and Koumare netted 16. Seniors Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Conn.) and Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) each scored 14 to pace the Lions.
 
Key Stat of the Game
Nichols shot 59 percent in the first half (18-of-34) as Echevarria made seven of his 10 attempts, Stallings went 3-of-5, and Koumare 3-of-6.
 
Turning Point
Gomes opened the second half scoring with a layup to bring the Lions to within four at 50-46. The Bison answered with a 20-6 run to take an 18-point lead (70-52) midway through the stanza. Eggleston scored seven points while Echevarria netted six and Stallings chipped in with five.
 
Quick Hits
-Nichols enters the CCC playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the third-straight season. Their 22 wins is one shy of the program-record of 23, set during the 2013-14 season.
-With 17 points this afternoon, Eggleston moved past former teammate Matt Langadas (2011-15) for 13th place on the all-time scoring list with 1,238 points. Next up is Bob Rulli (1964-68) with 1,271 points.
-The Bison finished the contest shooting 47 percent while the Lions – who canned 54 percent of their shots in the second half – finished at 56 percent (33-of-59).
-The Bison committed 13 turnovers, compared to 10 for the Lions, who will enter the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and host a Quarterfinal game on Tuesday.
-Nichols made 21 of its 26 free throw attempts (81 percent).
-Nichols senior Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) finished the afternoon with four points, three steals, and two assists in 37 minutes.
 
Quotes
"All of the guys on the team really wanted to play well for our seniors on Senior Day. Marcos rose to the occasion with 22 first-half points and Devin was great on the glass. It was great to get a win for those guys. Most importantly, we're healthy going into Tuesday night." – Nichols head coach Tom Glynn
 
"Our guys are focused. The three seniors put a lot of pressure on themselves and will be prepared. The others guys will follow their lead and, hopefully, we'll get a much different result this time around. We have to get stops down the stretch and be better right from the opening tip, unlike last year's quarterfinal game. We have to be great from the start." – Glynn, on next week's playoffs
 
"We wanted to head into the playoffs strong. It was great playing a team who we may see in the playoffs at some point, so we wanted to get a win for our confidence in case we do meet again." – Nichols senior Christian Horton
 
"Last year's playoff game has been our motivation at every practice. We can't let up. Two seconds means everything. Each possession means everything. We had to establish within our team that we can't let up during any practice or any game." –Horton, on the team's motivation heading into the playoffs
 
Next up
Nichols (22-3, 16-2 CCC) – Tuesday, February 23 vs No. 8 Western New England, 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Nazarene (18-7, 12-6 CCC) –Tuesday, February 23 vs No. 6 Roger Williams, 7:00 p.m.