KEENE, N.H. (11/21/2025) – In a wild game that featured nine ties and 12 lead changes, the Nichols College men's basketball team ended up on the wrong side of a 87-72 final score against host Keene State College, as part of the Owls' home Invitational Tournament.

With the loss, the Bison drop to 1-4 (0-1 CNE) overall, while Keene State picks up their first win of the season, moving to 1-3 (0-0 LEC) respectively.
The Owls held the Bison to 25-of-64 (39.1%) shooting from the field, and just 9-of-29 (31.0%) from three-point range.  Javen Flowers-Smith led the Bison scoring with 22 points in the effort, followed by Dominic Mello's 15 points. Olivier St. Louis delivered his second double-double of the season, pairing 12 points with 12 rebounds, while also finishing 42.9% from the field. Ethan Minarik also eclipsed double-figures, scoring 12 points with four makes from three-point range.

After a sluggish start to the first half, the Bison overcame an early 9-4 hole thanks to a 10-0 run fueled by a pair of Minarik three-pointers, catapulting them into the lead at 14-9. However, the storyline surrounding the first half would be several more lead changes between the two sides, with Nichols'  final lead of the frame coming from back-to-back baskets from inside the paint by Mello, making it a 20-17 score. Keene State finished out the half on a 19-6 run to restore  a 36-26 lead into the break.

Nichols went to work closing the gap in the second half, with a series of three-point makes from Flowers-Smith, Chapman and Minarik helping them move to within one point at 46-45. Then, after drawing back-to-back shooting fouls, Mello cashed in on all four free throw attempts to give the Bison the lead back, 49-46.  Following another lead flip in favor of the Owls, the Bison received a boost from 10 unanswered points by Flowers-Smith, including to makes from behind the arc. Both teams continued to trade blows throughout the remainder of the second half, but the Owls would ultimately hang on to win the game, 87-72.  

The Bison turn right back around for a 1:00 PM bout with Saint Joseph's College of Maine (2-3, 0-0 GNAC) in the closing day of the Keene State Invitational.