Recap
Junior DeAnte Bruton scored 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half as the No. 17 Nichols College men's basketball team rallied late to defeat Wentworth 67-64 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
Senior Bryce Boggs added a season-high 11 points (5-of-7 FG) as the Bison (23-2, 15-1 CCC) ran their win streak to 12 and swept the season series from the Leopards (8-17, 5-11 CCC). Junior Jerome Cunningham collected nine points, 10 rebounds, and two steals while senior Josiah Kimball picked up eight points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals.
 
Sophomore Kyle Henseler led all student-athletes with 20 points for the Leopards while junior Stephen Azums posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Wentworth held a 41-40 edge on the glass.
 
The Leopards never trailed in the first half and led 32-29 at the break as sophomore Gavin Keough netted 13 points to lead all scorers. Nichols moved in front by five (59-54) with 4:16 remaining in the second half behind two free throws each by Bruton, Cunningham, and senior Marcos Echevarria.
 
The Leopards tied the game with 1:11 to go on a basket from Henseler, but a loose ball foul on Cunningham sent the 6-8 big man to the line, where he calmly sank two free throws to make it 66-64 with 35 seconds remaining. Sophomore Nate Tenaglia stole the ball on the next possession, Bruton made 1-of-2 at the line, and Henseler's game-tying three-point attempt with five seconds remaining was off the mark.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Today's contest marked the 50th all-time meeting between Nichols College and Wentworth. The Bison have won 12 of the last 13 meetings and lead the series, 28-22.
            - Wentworth shot 48 percent from the field and held the Bison to a season-low 36 percent (25-of-69 FG).
            -Echevarria extended his streak of games with at least one three-pointer to 99 5:55 into the second half.
 
Quote
"We didn't play well for the majority of the game, but we made the plays the needed to make down the stretch to win." –Nichols head coach Scott Faucher
 
Next game
Thursday, February 21 – CCC Semifinals, 7:00 p.m.