BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) scored a game-high 25 points to pace the Nichols College men's basketball team as the Bison defeated Wentworth, 61-47, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action played at Tansey Gymnasium.
Winners of six straight, the Bison improve to 11-4 overall and remain undefeated in league play at 8-0. The Leopards dropped their third straight to stand at 6-9 (4-4).
After the score was tied at four, Langadas nailed his first of four 3-pointers to spark seven straight points for the Bison. Freshman Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) collected seven rebounds in the first frame to help keep the Leopards within striking distance of the Bison. Classmate Sam Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.) nailed a 3-pointer with 9:32 remaining to cut the Bison lead down to four, however Langadas responded with a three of his own to start an 11-3 run to lead 31-19 with 6:25 left in the first. Nichols closed the first half up 35-24 with Langadas scoring 18 points in the first half.
Neither side could put together a run of points together to help their respective teams in the first part of the second half. With 9:12 left, junior Kyle Romich (Groton, Mass.) hit a jump shot to cut the deficit to seven. Senior John-Michael Fragnoli (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Ganley helped jumpstart the offense and brought the score to 50-45 with four minutes left. A junior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) 3-pointer was essentially the difference maker, as Wentworth couldn't hit a field goal in the remainder of the game. Nichols finished on an 11-2 run to take the 61-47 decision.
Langadas was 9-for-17 from the floor, including 4-for-9 from behind the arc and also grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists. Koumare scored 11 points, grabbed seven boards, had three assists, and recorded five steals. Junior Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) completed a trio of Bison in double figures as he scored 10 points, grabbed five boards and had a game-high seven assists.
Ganley finished with a team-high 11 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while Fragnoli had eight points and six rebounds. Senior Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) added seven for the Leopards, who held a 38-35 rebounding advantage.
Both teams continue CCC play on Tuesday, when the Leopards travel to Endicott for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off while Nichols travels to Eastern Nazarene that same night.