DUDLEY, Mass. – Sophomore Jalen Hurst (Hartford, Conn.) scored 13 points and was one of three Nichols College student-athletes to reach double figures in a 75-63 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
The win snaps a six-game losing streak against the Leopards and moves the Bison to 11-4 (7-1 CCC) on the season. Nichols has now won seven in a row and nine of its last 11, and the seven-game win streak matches the program's longest since the 1965-66 season when it reeled off eight-straight wins from January 21, 1966 to February 22, 1966.
Senior Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and classmate Sam Horning (Falmouth, Mass.) added 11 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Nichols shot 43 percent from the field and only committed 10 turnovers.
Wentworth (8-7, 5-3 CCC) was paced by freshman Jherson Colon (Boston, Mass.), who dropped in 16 points on 6-of-18 from the field. Junior Ray Bessette (Dedham, Mass.) knocked down three triples off the bench and finished with 13 while junior John-Michael Fragnoli (Scotia, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points.
The Bison led wire-to-wire in the contest and went up by as many as nine in the first half before settling in for a six-point halftime lead (30-24). Hurst and Horning each had six points to pace Nichols while junior Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) went for six. Bessette canned a pair of treys en route to 10 first-half points. Each team shot the ball well as Nichols sank 14-of-29 (48 percent) while Wentworth nailed 11-of-26 (42 percent).
The Leopards opened the second half with five-straight points to cut their deficit to one at 30-29. Junior Joe Gallant (Salem, N.H.) answered with a layup, followed by a three-point play by Sheehan, to push the lead back to five. Minutes later, back-to-back baskets from junior Chris Johnson (Mansfield, Mass.) and classmate Marlon Bennett (Stratford, Conn.) give Nichols a 12-point lead at 51-39.
Wentworth climbed to within five points on four different occasions during the final 14 minutes of the second half – the last of which came with 4:03 to play on a jumper by Fragnoli. Nichols responded with a free throw from Bennett, a layup from Gallant and a three-ball from Sheehan – his only triple of the night – to make it 69-58 with 2:40 left on the clock.
Nichols rattled home 20-of-26 from the charity stripe (77 percent) and scored 15 points off 12 Wentworth turnovers. The Bison connected on a total of seven 3-pointers, led by Hurst with three.
The Bison return to action on Tuesday with a 5:30 p.m. contest against Eastern Nazarene. Wentworth hosts Endicott Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
(Recap courtesy of Nichols Sports Information)