Recap
Senior captain DeAnte Bruton poured in a game-high 33 points to lead the No. 10 Nichols College men's basketball team to a 107-104 win over New England College Saturday afternoon in non-conference action at the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament on the campus of WPI.
 
Sophomore Jason O'Regan made his first collegiate start for the Bison (2-0) and dropped in a career-high 25 points – including 7-of-10 from downtown – while classmate Jaekwon Spencer also established  a career-high with 22 points to go with nine boards, two blocks, and two dimes. Bruton, meanwhile, took home Tournament MVP honors as he averaged 25.0 points, 5.5 steals, and 5.5 rebounds.
 
Nichols shot 54 percent from the floor and won despite turning the ball over an uncharacteristically high 19 times. The Bison also struggled from the charity stripe, knocking down just 63 percent of their attempts (15-of-24).

Bruton and Spencer combined for 38 first-half points as the Bison built a 56-50 halftime lead. O'Regan exploded in the second half, banging in six triples en route to scoring 22 points in just 18 minutes of action. Bruton, meanwhile, went for 12 points and six assists in the second half while junior Matt Morrow posted nine points and six boards over the final 20 minutes.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Today's contest marked the 41s all-time meeting between Nichols College and New England College. The Bison have won five of the last six contests and lead the series, 29-12.
            -O'Regan's previous career-high was five points, set against Salve Regina on November 28, 2018.
            -Nichols shot 56 percent from beyond the arc (18-of-32) as five different student-athletes made at least one triple.

Quote
"This was an amazing team effort tonight against a very talented and well-coached NEC team. We received key contributions from a number of guys, which is exciting to see." -Nichols head coach Brandon Linton
              
Next game
Tuesday, November 19 @ Anna Maria, 6:00 p.m.