DUDLEY, Mass. (1/22/25) – The Nichols College men's basketball team led in-state conference rival Endicott College at halftime, but lost a heartbreaker to the Gulls, 90-85 in overtime on Wednesday at the Nichols Athletic Center.

With the loss, the Bison fall to 8-8 (5-4 CNE) on the season, while the Gulls improve to 10-6 (7-2 CNE).

Simon Percy led the night for the Bison with a career-best 24 points against the Gulls, shooting 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the floor and adding five rebounds and one assist. Javen Flowers-Smith put up 19 points in the effort, contributing a game-high six helpers with six rebounds, while Olivier St. Louis contributed 18 points while also hauling in six boards. Defensively, Ryan Savoy stood out with a whopping six blocks and five steals. The Bison shot 30-of-69 (43.5%) from the floor, making eight three-pointers, and finished with a 17-of-23 (73.9%) clip from the free-throw line.

The Bison got off to a hot start in the first half as Percy and Flowers-Smith combined for eight points in the first five minutes to fuel a 12-5 run. The guests brought about a quick response, netting the next six points to pull within one, leading up to another Bison scoring stretch that increased their lead to eight, 25-17 on a Flowers-Smith layup at 8:40. Nichols continued to bring a balanced attack throughout the remainder of the half,  with back-to-back Percy layups in the final five minutes helping Nichols to a nine-point, 38-29 lead at the break.  

Nichols extended its lead to as many as 13 points early in the second half, but witnessed Endicott slowly close the gap with a 12-4 run over a four-minute span. From that point on, the Bison lead would be limited to just single digits the rest of the half, which was not enough to hold off a late Endicott comeback in the two minutes of regulation, as they rattled off five unanswered points to tie the score at 73-73, forcing overtime.

The Gulls then matched the Bison point-for-point in the early stages of the OT period, before outscoring Nichols 7-3 in the final minute to win the game, 90-85.

Nichols men's basketball travels to Roger Williams University (11-5, 6-3 CNE) on Saturday, January 25^th for the second of two meetings between the Bison and Hawks this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM at the RWU Campus Rec Center Gymnasium