Nichols Stops Men's Basketball's Comeback Attempt

DUDLEY, Mass. – Graduate student Matt Morrow (Leicester, Mass.) had a game-high 23 points to go along with 18 rebounds as the Nichols College men's basketball team held off Wentworth Institute of Technology, 84-77, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon.

With the win the Bison improve to 17-2 overall and 8-2 in CCC play while the Leopards fall to 7-12 (4-9).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

LEADING SCORERS:  Trey Carrier, 22; Sam Goy, 11; Kyle Henseler, 11
LEADING REBOUNDERS:  Carrier, 18; Jack Schaake, 10
ASSIST LEADERS:  Goy, 6; Henseler, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Wentworth jumped out to a 5-0 lead as senior Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) opened the game with a three pointer and junior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.) made a layup 32 seconds later. Back-to-back three pointers from senior Jason O'Regan (Charlton, Mass.) and Morrow gave Nichols a 6-5 lead, which started a stretch of five lead changes and one tie.
• With 15:20 left, Schaake made a layup which began a 7-0 run and was capped off by a three from junior Sam Swift (Arlington, Mass.) that gave the Black & Gold a 18-12 lead. Wentworth held a six-point advantage two other times, including when sophomore Sam Goy (Derry, N.H.) hit a three with 10:42 left to make it 25-19.
• The Bison outscored the Leopards 22-7 over the next 8:12 and took a 41-32 lead on a pair of free throws from freshman Tahmeen Dupree (New Britain, Conn.) with 1:44 left. Four straight points from Carrier and a layup from Schaake trimmed the lead to three (41-38) at the break.
• Goy drained a three to open the half and tie the game at 41-all before a layup from senior Jaekwon Spencer (Bristol, Conn.) and a jumper from Morrow pushed the lead to four. Goy trimmed the lead to one (47-46) with a three with 15:52 left and again with a Carrier layup with 15:23 left. The Bison extended their lead to as many as seven with 10:32 left on a three from graduate student Matt Alectus (Hollywood, Fla.).
• Wentworth whittled the lead to two on a pair of occasions, including when Goy made a layup with 3:50 left, making it 76-74. The Bison scored five straight points to push the lead back to seven (81-74) on a transition layup from junior Jakigh Dottin (Cambridge, Mass.). Carrier cut the lead to four with a three, and, after a missed free throw, the Leopards had the ball with 57 seconds left. However, a turnover led to Nichols eventually hitting three of four free throws in a 19-second span to seal the game.
• Alectus also had a double-double for Nichols, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Dupree scored 19 while Dottin added 14.
• Carrier recorded a double-double for Wentworth, scoring 22 points and matching a career-high with 18 rebounds. Goy added 11 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while Henseler scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds, and had four assists. Wentworth had a 52-47 rebounding margin in the game.

SERIES NOTES:

• Today was the 52nd all-time meeting between the two teams. Nichols leads the all-time series, 28-24.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is at Western New England on Tuesday.

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