DUDLEY, Mass. (2/7/2026) – A bumpy performance in the first half was the deciding factor for the Nichols men's basketball team in an 87-70 loss to Suffolk University on Saturday night at the Nichols Athletic Center.

The Bison, with the loss, move to 12-10 (7-6 CNE) on the season, while the Rams improve to 13-9 (9-3 CNE).

Senior Javen Flowers-Smith and graduate student Dominic Mello led the Bison with 15 points apiece, followed by Olivier St. Louis' 14. In addition to his scoring total, St. Louis also helped out with 13 total rebounds, earning him his eighth double-double outing of the season, as well as a team-high three steals. It was a tough evening for the Bison from the field, as the Suffolk defense held the Bison to just 21-of-65 (32.3%) success, while also holding a narrow 45-41 edge in rebounding.

Nichols hit the floor with good energy in the opening moments of the first half, scoring 10 of the first 14 points. However, things quickly made a U-turn in favor of the visitors, as the Rams exploded for 22 unanswered points, which included four makes from three-point range. With Nichols having gone scoreless for over five minutes of action, senior Kuany Teng rescued the Bison with a singular layup following an offensive rebound, only for the Rams to fire off another 8-2 run down the stretch to bring their lopsided advantage to 37-17 with 3:15  to go. Despite outscoring the Rams 8-5 throughout the remaining time, the Bison would still face a sizable challenge entering the second half, with Suffolk leading 42-25 at the break.

The Rams picked it right back up early in the second half with a quick 8-0 run featuring another pair of threes on back-to-back possessions, forcing Nichols into an early timeout. Following the brief pause, the Bison started to pick it up offensively by way of an 11-2 run with four points belonging to Ethan Minarik, which later led to a Luke Chapman triple at 9:23 to pull the hosts to within 11 points. However, that would be the closest Nichols would manage the rest of the way, as Suffolk ultimately reinforced their lead to 17 points by the final buzzer.

Up next, men's basketball heads out to Gordon College (6-14, 5-6 CNE) for a conference matchup beginning at 7:00 PM inside the Bennett Center.