Men’s Basketball Coasts Past Nichols, 117-96

BOSTON – In its first home game in over a year, Suffolk men's basketball shot lights out, striking 20 three-pointers as a team, to claim a decisive 117-96 victory over Nichols Saturday afternoon at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 117 | Nichols 96
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-0) | Nichols (0-2)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Nichols scored the first hoop of that day, from there it was all Suffolk, who quickly built a 19-7 lead in the first five minutes of play. In that stretch Alex Jacovides went 3-for-3 from downtown.  

The shooting show continued out of a Bison timeout. Back-to-back long balls from Nate Hale made it a double-digit distance, 24-14, at the 14:30 minute mark. Five minutes later the senior's third trey of the day made it a 20-point gap, 40-20.  

Nichols used a timeout in an attempt to slow Suffolk down. It didn't work and before you knew it the Rams sat in front by 28, 52-29, after Brendan Mulson converted a triple with 4:06 to play before intermission.  

From there Jacovides put on an 8-1 stretch of his own, a spurt which featured a pair of three's, to grow Suffolk's advantage to 32,65-33, with just over two minutes to go in the first frame.  

That margin stayed intact at the half, 70-38.  

Not a lot changed in the second set of 20 minutes. The Rams scored when needed and the Bison attempted to chip away at the deficit. The hole proved too large to climb out of and Suffolk went on to claim the 117-96 victory.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Suffolk's 20 threes came from five different players, all hitting multiples treys. 
• Jacovides led the sharp shooting unit, going 6-for-7 on the long ball for the day. The senior finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists. 
• Hale only missed one of his five attempted three-pointers as well to produced 22 points. His stat line included four caroms, one assist, one steal and one block. 
• Conor Creane and John Gates both shot 4-for-6 from behind-the-arc in reserve efforts. Creane registered 16 points, three caroms, two assists, and two steals, while Gates contributed 15 points, three boards, one dime and one takeaway. 
• Mulson, who also knocked down two treys, had an all-around day with 13 points, eight rebounds, three helpers, three steals and two swats. 
• Suffolk shot 61.5 percent (40-65) from the field, 66.7 percent (20-30) from behind-the-arc and went 89.5 percent at the charity stripe. 
• The Rams won the battle on the boards, 41-27. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Nichols in back-to-back meetings for the first time since 1994-95. 
• The Rams dropped 100-plus points for the first time since scoring 101 in a 101-86 victory over Mount Ida Feb. 27, 2017. 
• The 117 points are the most points for the blue-and-gold since it scored 131 in a 131-103 win at Wentworth Jan. 13, 1994. 
• The 117 points are tied for fifth most all-time in a single game in Suffolk history. 
• Suffolk has dropped 100 points 58 times, seven of those offensive outputs have come against Nichols. 
• As of games played across NCAA Division III on February 26, 2021, Suffolk's 20 three pointers as a team is tied for second in the country with Greenville. North Central's 21 three-pointers made in a single game leads the division. 
• The 20 triples made in a single game is the most in the Jeff Juron era. 
• Six Rams recorded career-highs: Aidan Sullivan (assists), Jacovides (points), Mulson (blocks), Creane (points, FGM, 3PT, rebounds, assists and steals), Gates (points, FGM, 3PT FGM, FTM, & steals) and Ismail Fofana (points).  

POST-GAME PIC
  

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk Athletics will continue to release its winter sports schedule on a week-by-week basis. Fans are encouraged to check GoSuffolkRams.com every week on Tuesday afternoons when the next batch of games will be unveiled.