Recap…
Senior DeAnte Bruton scored a career-high 36 points – including the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining – as the Nichols College men's basketball team rallied from a 19-point second half deficit to stun Roger Williams University 80-78 Tuesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Men's Basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center in Dudley, Mass.

WATCH: Bruton game-winning layup

Bruton scored 26 of his points in the second half for the Bison (18-8) as he knocked down 9-of-18 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity over the final 20 minutes. The New London, Conn. native also snared 10 of his team-leading and career-high 14 boards in the second half.
 
Junior Matt Morrow chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks for NC while sophomore Jaekwon Spencer collected 11 points and five rebounds. Junior Drew Hart scored a team-high 20 points for the Hawks (15-11), who shot 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from downtown (12-of-24).
 
The Hawks knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot 51 percent as they took a six-point lead into halftime (42-36). Hart led all student-athletes with 15 points (6-of-9 FG) while Spencer and Bruton each scored 10 for the Bison. Nichols shot 37 percent in the opening stanza and was just 2-of-15 from downtown.
 
Senior Rich Pugliese's second-half jumper with 10:58 on the clock gave the Hawks a 67-48 lead. The Bison cut their deficit to seven on a triple from junior Nate Tenaglia with 4:42 remaining, but soon found themselves trailing by eight (78-70) with 56 seconds to go in their season.
 
Bruton began the comeback with a pull-up three with 46 ticks on the clock to cut the deficit to five at 78-73. Following a turnover by the Hawks, Bruton was fouled and knocked down both free throws to make it a three-point game at 78-75. Another RWU turnover led to another foul on Bruton, resulting in a pair of made free throws with :15 on the clock that cut the NC deficit to one at 78-77.
 
Following an intentional foul from Spencer with eight seconds left, junior JJ Pfohl missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Morrow grabbed the rebound. He raced down the court and drove the lane, where his and-1 layup fell through the net with 1.3 seconds on the clock, giving the Bison a one-point lead. He converted the free throw to make it a two-point lead, and sophomore Eli Harris' full-court inbounds pass from under the Bison basket landed out-of-bounds, leaving the Bison to do nothing more than inbound the ball to advance to the CCC Semifinals.

Three things you need to know…
                -Tonight's contest marked the 56th all-time meeting between Nichols College and Roger Williams University. The Bison extended their win streak to 16 games and their lead in the series to 36-21.
                -With the win, the Bison advance to the CCC Semifinal for the fifth-consecutive season.
                -Bruton's 36 points is the second-highest total in Nichols College playoff history behind only Gustave Koumare's 38 points in the CCC Semifinals against Endicott on February 25, 2016.

Quote
"I don't know if there are words to describe that one. Unbelievable fight from our group. DeAnte was the leader and has been for us all year. We're excited to get back in front of the best fans in college basketball Thursday night!" -Nichols head coach Brandon Linton
 
Next game
Thursday, February 27 vs Gordon (CCC Semifinals), 7:00 p.m.