SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (2/17/2026) - The Nichols College men's basketball team traveled to the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center on Tuesday night for their second installment of conference play against Western New England University (WNE) this season. Although proving a closer match-up this time out, the Bison were ultimately handed a loss on the road despite late efforts to end with a lead, 78-79.

Following the loss, Nichols sees a drop in their record, moving to 13-11 on the season. Their Conference of New England (CNE) record also sees a dip, now 8-7. The Golden Bears improve with a now 19-5 record overall, 13-2 in the CNE.

The Bison saw powerful point production from several scorers, boasting four double-digit performances on the night. Leading the pack in scoring was Ethan Minarik with his 16, closely followed by Dominic Mello and Javen Flowers-Smith each notching 14 points respectively. The last Nichols scorer in two figures was Kuany Teng with 12. Efforts on the glass were led by Luke Chapman, bringing down eight boards on the night for the Bison. Flowers-Smith shared the ball to create four assists on the night, the leader in the category.

In the first half, Nichols set the tone early by attacking inside, getting quick scores from Minarik and Darrell Hardge to take an early advantage. Nichols saw their biggest lead at 17:40 being up on the Golden Bears 6-2, but WNE countered with outside shooting and second-chance opportunities to swing momentum and build a multi-possession lead midway through the half. The Bison steadied themselves behind strong bench minutes, having 16 of their first half points come from the bench. With multiple charity stripe chances down the stretch and quality scoring looks, Nichols closed the half with late free throws to keep it tight, heading into the break down just 42-38, despite trailing by double-digits two times in the first.

Nichols continued to pressure the paint out of halftime, repeatedly cutting the deficit to one possession behind finishes from Noah Rudman, Minarik and Mello. The Bison produced 22 points in the paint for the second half, the highest mark in the contest. WNE briefly extended the lead with more success beyond the arc, but the Bison answered with a late rally fueled by Flowers-Smith and Teng to close the margin and tie the game inside the final minutes. Mello knocked down a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to give Nichols the lead, 78-77. A response layup with just seconds left by WNE would put the lead back in their favor, committing a kick-ball violation in the Bison's offensive position to give Nichols just 2.4 seconds for a game-winner. But off the inbound the shot was unable to fall, and the Golden Bears were able to take the game in close fashion, 78-79.

Men's Basketball are set to compete in their last game ahead of the CNE Tournament on Saturday, February 21st against Curry College. Prior to the contest, Nichols will host their Senior Day ceremony, honoring the Bison closing their collegiate chapter on The Hill. Start time is set for 3:00 PM at the Nichols Athletic Center.