BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Marco Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) led three Nichols College men's basketball players in double figures as the Bison defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 80-60, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Thursday night.
With the win Nichols improves to 13-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play after picking up their second straight win. The Leopards fall to 4-11 overall and 2-5 in the CCC.
Nichols jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a three from Echevarria and a layup from junior DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.). Wentworth battled back and eventually tied the game at 11-all on a free throw from junior Matt Vartanian (Salem, N.H.) with 13:34 remaining. After Echevarria hit a three to give the Bison the lead back, the Leopards used a 5-1 spurt to take a 16-15 lead on a layup from Vartanian.
Wentworth's lead did not last long, however, as freshman Jaekwon Spencer (Bristol, Conn.) hit a three pointer which started a 15-1 run and gave the Bison a 30-17 lead after a layup from Spencer with 8:23 left. Wentworth chipped away and trimmed the lead to eight on a Vartanian three-point play with 4:33 remaining, however, Nichols closed the half on an 11-2 run, capped off by a sophomore Nate Tenaglia (Tewksbury, Mass.) three just before the buzzer sounded. Nichols shot nearly 53 percent in the first half.
The Bison took their largest lead of the game (23) after Echevarria converted a layup 1:28 into the second half and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. On three occasions, the Black & Gold pulled within 14, including on a jumper from junior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.). Nichols used a 9-0 run to match their largest lead late in the game, which was capped off by a senior Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.) three pointer.
In addition to his 16 points, Echevarria had seven rebounds and four assists. Bruton scored 13 points and dished out five assists, while Spencer added 11 on 4-for-5 shooting. Nichols had a 44-37 rebounding advantage.
Vartanian led all scorers with 17 points, including going 5-for-5 from the floor. Azums recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds and sophomore Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) chipped in with eight points.
Wentworth is idle until traveling to Curry on Wednesday night while Nichols hosts the University of New England on Saturday.
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