DUDLEY, Mass. – Behind 14 points and nine rebounds from senior Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.), and 16 points from Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine) the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team dealt Nichols a 62-46 loss in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference game. The Leopards improve to 12-9 overall and 7-3 in the TCCC, while the Bison fall to 5-16 on the season with a record of 2-8 in conference.
With the victory, Leopards head coach Tom Devitt earned his 100th career win, making him the program's all-time wins leader in his ninth season (2000-01; 2003-present) behind the bench. He surpasses Harry McShane, who amassed 99 wins in eight seasons (1994-2000; 2001-03) as head coach. Devitt served as McShane's assistant during the 1999-2000 season and again from 2001-2003.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the game. Wentworth's first field goal did not come until almost seven minutes into the half, and through eight minutes the score was tied at four. At this same point the teams had a combined 13 turnovers.
Eventually, both teams found their stride. Nichols began drawing fouls and making their free throws, while the Leopards began beating the Bison's press more efficiently, getting their offense started quicker. Nichols sophomore Justin Kuntz (Wallingford, Conn.) made a pair of free throws with just three seconds remaining in the half to cut the Wentworth lead to three at 28-25 heading into the locker room. The Bison shot 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the half.
For Nichols, the second half began in similar fashion to the first. It took the Bison nearly four minutes to score their first field goal, but for Wentworth it was a different story. The Leopards started off the second frame on an 11-0 run, but it would not stop there. By the 11:18 mark of the half the Leopards extended that run to 21-5 and gave themselves a comfortable 49-30 lead.
Nichols scored the next four points, but was then held on a four-and-a half minute scoring drought until junior Dominique Jean-Pierre (Marlborough, Mass.) was fouled on a lay-up which he converted into a three-point play. Nichols' second unit seemed to give the team some energy for a short period of time, but in the end Wentworth's offense was simply too much for the Bison.
Nichols struggled from three-point range in the game, finishing just 1-for-16 from beyond the arc and 27.7% overall from the field.
Kuntz had 12 points and eight rebounds from the guard position for the Bison, while Wentworth junior Matt Harte (Troy, N.Y.) had a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Bison will be back in action Saturday in a 3 p.m. conference game at Eastern Nazarene. The Leopards will hit the court on Thursday, hosting Eastern Connecticut at 7:00 pm.
-Story courtesy of Nichols Sports Information-
