Late Second Half Run Pushes Nichols Past Men’s Basketball

DUDLEY, Mass. (February 11, 2020) – The Western New England University men's basketball team suffered a 92-87 defeat to Nichols in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action on Tuesday evening at the Nichols Athletic Center.

Top Performers
Senior DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.) led the Bison with 26 points. Junior Matt Morrow (Leicester, Mass.) grabbed a double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Junior guard Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with 23 points. Senior guard Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) scored 18 points, while junior forward Zachary Tavitian (Milford, Conn.) grabbed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Game Review
The Golden Bears and Bison traded baskets to begin the game. A 3-pointer from McGuire with 15:42 remaining in the half gave Western New England a 14-9 lead. The Bison took the lead back midway through the half after a 3-pointer from senior Kash Jackson (Canton, Ga.) put Nichols up 27-26.

The Golden Bears took back the lead on the next possession and extended it to a seven point lead after a 3-pointer from senior guard Tim Reilly (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) put Western New England up 36-29 with 7:20 remaining until halftime. A pair of free throws from Morrow with 4:14 remaining cut the Western New England lead down to one. The Golden Bears pushed the lead back five, going up 48-43 going into halftime.

The Golden Bears continued their strong play to begin the second half as a 3-pointer from Sikorski just under three minutes into the half put Western New England up 59-48. The Bison cut the lead down to four before the Golden Bears pushed the lead back up to 13 points after a 3-pointer from senior guard Nick DeGennaro (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) midway through the half.

The Golden Bears pushed their lead to 15 points after a pair of free throws from Tavitian put Western New England up 87-72 with just under four minutes left. The Bison stormed back, tying the game at 87 with 0:33 left after a free throw from junior Nate Tenaglia (Tewksbury, Mass.). Nichols hit key free throws down the stretch to complete the come from behind victory.

Notes
• Western New England sits in third place in the CCC standings.
• Alex Sikorski is now five points away from 1,000 career points.

Up Next
Western New England (14-9) will host U. of New England for senior day on Saturday afternoon. Nichols (14-8) travels to Curry on Saturday afternoon.