Nichols races past Endicott 130-106 in high-octane, record-setting CCC contest

BEVERLY, Mass. – Facing off against the second highest scoring team in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), the Endicott men's basketball suffered a 130-106 loss to Nichols at MacDonald Gymnasium on Tuesday evening as both teams ran up the score and broke several program records in the process.

The Bison, who won their first conference game of the season and improved to 6-5 (1-3 CCC), scored the most points as a team in a single game since February 12, 2001 when Nichols dropped 126 on New England College.  Nichols shot 64.0% (48-of-75) from the field including 60.7% (17-of-28) from three-point distance.  The team's 17 three-pointers tied a program record as seven different players drained shots from beyond the arc. 

The combined score of 236 was the most total points between two teams in Endicott men's basketball history, eclipsing the previous record of 212 set after a 108-104 Gulls loss to Gordon back on February 2, 1998. 

Leading the charge for the Bison was junior forward and the CCC's leading scorer Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) who netted 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting including a perfect 3-of-3 from long distance.  Sheehan led a group of six Nichols players to reach double figures.  Sophomore guard Marlon Bennett (Stratford, Conn.) used a 4-of-8 effort from three-point land to score 18 points off the bench while both senior Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, Conn.) and sophomore Matt Langadas (Casco, Maine) added 17 points in starting roles.  Sophomore guard Jessy Michaud (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) scored 16 points while leading the team in assists with five. 

Behind a career-high 33 points from sophomore guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.), the Gulls managed to shoot 48.8% (40-of-82) as a team including 43.5% (10-of-23) from three-point range.  Henault was electric in the first half, scoring 19 of his 33 points and helping the Gulls to trim an early 22-point deficit down to as little as six before settling on a 72-58 halftime disadvantage. 

Henault also finished the game tied with teammate Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) for a team-high five assists.  Greene also contributed offensively with 15 points but also forced Nichols to turn the ball over six times. 

Endicott also saw freshman guard Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) score a season-high 18 points on 5-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 at the free throw line.  Powers added four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.  Seeing action for the first time in an Endicott uniform, sophomore forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) played a strong game off the bench scoring 11 points and grabbing seven boards, including four on the offensive glass. 

Tied 14-14 in the first half, Nichols rattled off 14 straight points to take a commanding 28-14 advantage with just 6:30 into the game.  The Bison went up by as many as 22 points in the opening stanza at 42-20 but Endicott fought to get back in the game, cutting their opponents lead down to 50-44 with 5:42 remaining in the half.  Endicott went into halftime trailing 72-58.

In the second half, Endicott battled to once again pull within six points at 84-78 at the 15:32 mark but Nichols used strong three-point shooting to puts their lead well into the double digits.  The Bison went 10-of-18 from beyond the arc in the second half and built their lead to as large as 28 points before settling on a 24-point road victory. 

Nichols held a slim 41-36 rebounding advantage but Endicott was aggressive on the boards, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds leading to 22 second chance points.  The Nichols bench outscored Endicott 51-27 and the Bison used an effective fast-break offense to outscore the Gulls 28-6 in that category.

Endicott (7-4, 2-2 CCC) begins a three-game, conference road stretch starting on Thursday, January 10^th against Wentworth.  Tip-off is at 7:30 pm at the Nelson Recreation Center.  Nichols hosts Eastern Nazarene at 5:30 pm on Thursday in CCC action.