Recap
Senior DeAnte Bruton knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 56 seconds remaining to propel the Nichols College men's basketball team to a 71-70 win over Endicott College Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
Bruton finished with a game-high 27 points as the Bison (8-4, 3-0 CCC) snapped a three-game losing skid. Junior Matt Morrow picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards while battling foul trouble. Sophomore Jason O'Regan scored 12 points off the bench – his best effort since November 23 against Worcester State – while senior Kash Jackson canned three triples and finished with nine points.
 
Freshman Jaylen Echevarria led the Gulls (9-4, 3-1 CCC) with 16 points while juniors Matt McDevitt and Louis Ellis each chipped in with 13 points. Endicott carried a six-game win streak into tonight's contest and nearly made is seven, rallying from an 11-point second-half deficit to take a 70-69 lead with 1:27 remaining following a three from Ellis.
 
On the ensuring possession, Bruton missed a three before Jackson snared the rebound. Bruton ran the shot clock down, then calmly sank a mid-range jumper to put the Bison back up by one. Endicott had two chances to regain the lead, but a three from Ellis with 42 seconds to go was off the mark and a running jumper from junior Isaiah Goodwin at the horn was off-target.
 
Three things you need to know...
            -Tonight's contest marked the 34th all-time meeting between Endicott College and Nichols College. The Bison have won five-straight against the Gulls and seven of the last eight, but still trail the all-time series, 18-17.
            -Bruton's performance brought him to 1,921 career points, which is six shy of Vin Miller (1978-82) for fourth-place on the college's all-time scoring list.
            -Endicott senior Keith Brown – who entered the contest averaging over 20 ppg – was held to 2-of-11 form the field and finished with seven points.
 
Quote
"I'm proud of the fight our team showed tonight. We were able to get contributions from guys besides DeAnte and Matt, which made all the difference tonight." –Nichols head coach Brandon Linton
 
Next game
Thursday, January 9 vs Roger Williams, 7:00 p.m.