Men’s Basketball Slipped at Nichols, 75-74

DUDLEY, Mass. – Suffolk men's basketball's Saturday Commonwealth Coast Conference showdown at Nichols came down to the wire and the Rams landed on the wrong side of a 75-74 decision at the Nichols Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 74 | Nichols 75
RECORDS: Suffolk (13-8, 8-6 CCC) | Nichols (16-5, 12-2 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The lead exchanged three times in the first seven minutes that saw Nichols hold a 16-15 edge.  

A 12-3 run by the Bison sent the host ahead 28-18, which forced Jeff Juron to use a timeout with 8:38 to go in the first frame. 

The huddle helped the Rams as Jake Gomez scored a lay-up on Suffolk's first possession out of the break, however, it did not jump start a blue-and-gold run. Instead, a back-and-forth affair ensued, and Nichols held onto a double-digit advantage, 41-29, at the 1:27 mark. 

Good freebies from William Rowe followed by a lay-up from Keenan Robertson pulled the Rams within eight with 38 seconds before halftime. The Bison managed to score four quick points to wrap up the opening period to send Suffolk into the intermission down a dozen, 45-33. 

In the first 10 minutes of the second half, the teams traded hoops to keep a double-figure distance in Nichols' favor, 63-47.

With 16 points to make up and 10:11 remaining in regulation, Rowe's lay-up sparked a 13-0 Rams run. That stretch cut the gap down to three, 63-60, with 5:22 left on the clock. 

Out of a Bison timeout, Robrertson hit a jumper to slice the edge to one. Matthew Alectus responded for Nichols with a triple to restore a multi-possession margin. 

Hoop-for-hoop action followed and Nichols made their free throws down the stretch to hold onto a 73-68 lead with 45 seconds to play. 

Conor Creane connected on a huge trey to trim the deficit down to two with five seconds left. Jakigh Dottin turned his trip to the charity stripe into two points that put the game just out of reach for the Rams, 75-71. 

John Gates buried a 3-pointer after Dottin made the two free throws, but Suffolk ran out of time to complete the thrilling comeback. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Robertson recorded 29 points on a 13-for-27 showing from the floor with 15 rebounds and three assists and one steal. 
• Aidan Sullivan registered 12 points, two assists, two boards, one block and one steal. 
• Rowe had 10 points on a 4-for-8 showing from the field with eight caroms, one dime and one takeaway. 
• Creane was on the verge of double figures with nine points on a 3-for-6 effort from downtown to go along with four caroms, two set-ups and one steal. 
• Suffolk outrebounded Nichols, 37-29. 
• The Rams poured in 40 points in the pain. 
• The Bison turned Suffolk's 18 turnovers into 21 points.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk moved to 36-17 all-time against Nichols. 
• The Rams are now 14-8 against the Bison as the away team. 
• Suffolk moved to 3-4 versus the Bison in the Juron era. 
• Robertson put together his fourth collegiate double-double. 
• The 15 boards for Robertson mark a career-high for the sophomore. 
• Robertson matched a career-high 13 field goals made. 

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk concludes its three-game road swing Tuesday, Feb. 7 when it visits Curry for a 7 p.m. game.