Recap
Senior captain DeAnte Bruton led four Nichols College men's basketball student-athletes with 17 points as the Bison opened the 2019-20 campaign with a 74-56 win over Eastern Connecticut State University Friday night at the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament on the campus of WPI.
 
The No. 10-ranked Bison outrebounded the Warriors 37-31 and also received 12 points and 12 boards from junior Matt Morrow while sophomore Jaekwon Spencer filled the stat sheet with 12 points, eight boards, and three blocks in his first collegiate start. Junior Nate Tenaglia collected eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal in 36 minutes to help first-year head coach Brandon Linton pick up his first collegiate win as a head coach.
 
The two schools traded the lead several times in the first half before senior Kash Jackson canned a jumper that gave the Bison the lead for good (24-23) with 4:06 to go in the first half. A free throw from Bruton 2:14 into the second half pushed the lead to 10 before his layup less than three minutes later stretched the lead to 16 points at 46-30.
 
Corey Muckle paced the Warriors with 13 points.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Tonight's contest marked the 26th all-time meeting between Nichols College and Eastern Connecticut State University. The Bison have now won two-straight over the Warriors, who still lead the series 18-8.
            -Bruton has pulled even with Fred O'Connor '64 for fifth-place on the college's all-time scoring list with 1,684 points. Next up is Vin Miller '82 with 1,927 points.
            -Jackson sparked the Bison off the bench with 10 points – including a pair of triples – while sophomore Jason O'Regan chipped in with five points.

Quote
"I was happy with the way our team competed from start to finish. We overcame adversity at different points of the game and relied on our defense to get us to the finish line." -Nichols head coach Brandon Linton
              
Next game
Saturday, November 15 vs New England Col., 3:00 p.m.