Nichols Holds Off Men’s Basketball, 77-68

DUDLEY, Mass. — The Endicott College men's basketball team fell to Nichols, 77-68, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action on Tuesday evening.

Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points (8-22 FG, 3-9 3PT, 6-6 FT).

Cam Homsey (Windham, N.H.) also added 10 points (3-6 FG, 2-3 3PT) and five rebounds. 

Nichols jumped to an early 26-11 lead in the opening stanza, powered by a 15-0 run, and later rode that momentum to a 40-29 advantage at the break. 

From there, the Gulls produced a 16-4 run in the second half to cut the deficit to 48-45 with 12:28 left. 

The stretch was fueled by Echevarria (8), Drew Brown (Pelham, N.H.) (3), Jeff Hill (Lynn, Mass.) (2), Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) (2), and Homsey (1). 

Trailing 62-56, Endicott gained momentum once again after a pair of three-pointers from Echevarria and Brown to cut the game within one possession, 64-62, with 5:44 to play. 

Nichols once again found an answer for the Gulls, this time building up a 68-64 advantage with 1:17 remaining.

Echevarria countered with a right-handed scoop layup to make it 68-66, but the Bison halted Endicott's comeback bid outscoring the Gulls 9-2 down the stretch.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The all-time series is tied, 21-21.
• Hill registered a career-high 10 assists.
• The contest saw one tie and two lead changes.
• Nichols led for 37:31 of the matchup with its largest lead of 15 points (46-31) coming at the 18:29 mark of the second half. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (9-5, 5-2 CCC) hosts Roger Williams Saturday, January 14 at 3:00 PM. Nichols (9-5, 5-2 CCC) travels to Wentworth this Saturday at 3:00 PM. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - Liv Cutting)