HAVERFORD, PA. (12/13/2025) – The Nichols College men's basketball team extended its winning streak to five games behind a 19-point performance from Javen Flowers-Smith, edging non-conference opponent Haverford College, 80–77, on Saturday afternoon at the Calvin J. Gooding '84 Arena.

With the win, the Bison surge to 6-4 (2-1 CNE) while the Fords drop to 5-4 (0-0 Centennial conference).

The Bison put together an efficient offensive night, shooting 21-of-49 from the field (42.9%) and a sharp 11-of-25 from three-point range (44%). Nichols had four players reach double figures, paced by senior guard Javen Flowers-Smith, who poured in a game-high 19 points while orchestrating the offense with eight assists to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Graduate student Dominic Mello provided a strong scoring punch with 17 points, knocking down three of his five attempts from beyond the arc and adding four boards. Junior Ethan Minarik stayed hot from deep, burying four of six triples on his way to 14 points. Senior Olivier St. Louis capped the balanced effort with 10 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 at the line while also leading the Bison with five rebounds and two blocks.

Both teams came out of the gates trading blows, neither willing to give an inch in the opening minutes. The Bison struck first, jumping out to a five-point advantage behind a pair of free throws from junior Luke Chapman and a deep triple from Ethan Minarik. Haverford answered with a surge of its own, ripping off a run to build a 12-point cushion with 7:36 remaining in the half. Nichols refused to fold. In a blistering two-minute stretch, the Bison poured in 11 unanswered points, ignited by free throws from Dominic Mello, a momentum-swinging three from sophomore Harrison Stanwood, and six straight points from Javen Flowers-Smith. Feeding off the energy in the Gooding Arena, Nichols continued to claw back by attacking the rim and cashing in at the line, before Olivier St. Louis calmly buried two free throws to cut the deficit to one, sending the Bison into the locker room down just 37–36.

The second half opened up with a Minarik three, pushing the Bison ahead by two but the lead didn't last for long. The second half saw 8 lead changes with each team fighting for a lead. Neither side could create separation, as baskets were answered almost immediately at the other end. The Bison leaned on timely shooting and aggressive defense to keep pace, getting key contributions from Flowers-Smith, Mello, and Minarik as the score stayed tight deep into the half. With under four minutes remaining, Nichols surged ahead behind back-to-back triples from Senior Kuany Teng, but Haverford responded once again to reclaim the lead. Down six with under two minutes to play, the Bison refused to quit. A clutch three from Mello and a fastbreak layup by Flowers-Smith trimmed the deficit to one, setting up a dramatic finish. Nichols sealed the comeback at the free-throw line, where Mello calmly knocked down two with 18 seconds remaining before Junior Edrick Quezada iced the game at the buzzer, securing an 80–77 victory.

The Bison hit the road for their next matchup, traveling to Wesleyan University to compete in the Eastern Connecticut College Holiday Invitational on Monday, December 29, with tipoff set for 3:00 p.m.