KEENE, N.H. – The Nichols College men's basketball team delivered a thrilling finish to close out the Keene State Invitational, closing out an 81–79 victory over the Saint Joseph's College of Maine Monks this afternoon at the Spaulding Gymnasium. The Bison battled hard and walked away with a statement win to cap the weekend.

Nichols moves up to 2-4 (0-1 CNE) following the win, while Saint Joseph's Maine drops to 2-4 (0-0 GNAC).

Graduate student Dominic Mello was unstoppable, powering the Bison with a team-high 23 points while stuffing the stat sheet across the board. Mello dished out five assists, swiped three steals, grabbed a pair of rebounds, and added a block – all while shooting 58% from the field and a deadly 80% from beyond the arc. Nichols had three additional players in double figures. Senior Javen Flowers-Smith poured in 16 points, handed out four assists, and picked up three steals. Ethan Minarik stayed hot from deep, knocking down four threes on his way to 14 points. Senior Oliver St. Louis added 12 points, three rebounds, and two steals in the Bison win. As a team, the Bison produced their most efficient performance of the season, shooting 47.4% (27–57) from the floor, a scorching 53.8% (14–26) from three, 76.5% (13-17) from the line,  and racking up 12 steals to fuel the victory.

The Bison came out firing on the defensive end, forcing early chaos that led to the game's first points, a steal and layup by Mello. But the Monks were the first to find a rhythm, punching back with an 11–2 run fueled by quick touches inside that put Nichols on its heels. The Bison responded tactically, chipping away at the deficit with timely three-point shooting and steady trips to the foul line. With 10:36 left in the half, Nichols seized the lead and refused to give it back. A pull-up jumper and deep three from sophomore Harrison Stanwood, followed by another long ball from St. Louis helped push the advantage to eight. Nichols controlled the tempo the rest of the way, heading into halftime with a 41–37 lead and all the momentum.

To open the second half, the Bison wasted no time building on their momentum. St. Louis sliced to the rim for a smooth layup, and on the very next possession Flowers-Smith's pressure created a steal that led to a clean finish by Mello. In under a minute, Nichols had stretched the lead back to eight. But the Monks punched right back, climbing into the game with a 7–3 run sparked by a pair of clutch threes and downhill attacks to the basket. Momentum began to swing in Saint Joseph's favor, and a midrange jumper pushed them ahead by one. Moments later, back-to-back fastbreak points and two more threes completely flipped the script, putting the Monks up by nine. Nichols, now on the back foot, refused to fold. The Bison found answers from all over the floor, including a rhythm three from junior Luke Chapman that trimmed the deficit to four. Still trailing by six with 3:26 remaining, Nichols mounted one final surge. A deep three from Mello, a smooth jumper from Flowers-Smith, and a dagger triple from Chapman catapulted the Bison back in front by two with 1:40 left. A crucial free throw from Mello nudged the lead to one, and Flowers-Smith sealed the win at the line, closing out an electric 81–79 victory.

Men's basketball will be on the road for their next contest where they take on Clark University on Sunday, November 30th. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM at the Hurst Courts.