PAXTON, Mass. – Behind 27 points on 63.2% shooting from Ty Rucker, the Nichols men's basketball team took down Anna Maria, 92-75, on Tuesday night at the Fuller Activities Center. With the win, the team improves to 2-1 on the season and evens out its road record at 1-1.
 
After trailing by as many as nine early in the first half, the Bison relied on Rucker to work the game back in their favor. The Bison tied the game up on a Rucker layup with 7:10 remaining and then took its first lead since the opening seconds of the contest, 33-31, on yet another Rucker lay-in. The Bison finished the half on an 11-0 run, capped off by a Rucker steal-and-score at the buzzer to put the visitors up, 56-38, at the break.
 
In the second half, Nichols was able to hold and expand on its first-half lead with a balanced attack on offense, with baskets coming from seven different Bison, including ten points on 5-of-6 shooting from Tavon Jones. Jones finished his night with 21 points and seven rebounds.
 
Rucker's eight steals set a program record for steals in a single game, which previously sat at seven and was held by several former Bison.
 
Jason O'Regan hauled in 10 rebounds, eight of which came in the second half, to secure a double-double with 18 points.
 
Nichols is scheduled to compete in this weekend's Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Tournament hosted by Westfield State, with New England Col. first on the schedule with a 7:30 p.m. tip set for Friday, November 18.