DUDLEY, Mass. (January 7, 2016) - Western New England University utilized a combined 50 points from its starting backcourt and a 66.7 percent second-half shooting percentage to earn a key 96-92 road victory at Nichols College this evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's basketball action at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
Senior guard Luis Agrait (South Hadley, Mass.) shot a near-perfect 10-for-11 from the field, connecting on 4-of-5 three-point attempts and 6-of-8 free throws on his way to a career-high 30 points as Western New England improved to 4-7 (2-3 CCC). Agrait, who scored 16 second-half points without missing a field goal, also pulled down five rebounds and dished out three assists in 33 minutes of action.
 
Freshman guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) continued the impressive start to his collegiate career with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, while collecting a season-high nine rebounds and team-best five assists.
 
Senior center Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) led the way as Western New England dominated the paint, registering his 11^th career double-double with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe to go with a team-high ten boards, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Freshman guard Tyler Johnson (Vernon, Conn.) chipped in with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in just nine minutes off the bench, while junior Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) finished with six points and eight rebounds.
 
Western New England rolled offensively all game, shooting 57.4 percent (35-of-61) from the field overall, including 50 percent (17-of-34) in the first half and 66.7 percent (18-of-27) in the second. The Golden Bears had no trouble getting to the rim, outscoring Nichols 52-36 in the paint while also holding the edge in bench points (21-13) and fast break points (12-10). Western New England's 96 points are the most for the program since February 1, 2006, when the Golden Bears defeated Daniel Webster College, 107-51.
 
Nichols (8-3, 2-2 CCC), which was picked to finish second in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll and entered tonight's contest with a combined 35-4 record in conference play since the 2013-14 campaign, was led by senior guard Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.). Eggleston, who finished with a game-high 32 points, shot just 11-of-27 from the field but was aided by a 9-of-11 effort from the free throw line. The senior also recorded a game-high 13 rebounds to go with four assists and two blocks, and went over 1000 career points late in the second half.
 
Freshman guard Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) finished with 18 points, five boards and five assists for the Bison, while junior forward Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) fell just short of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Golden Bears limited Nichols to 36.4 percent (32-of-88) shooting overall, including 33.3 percent (17-of-51) in the second half. The Bison did a good job taking care of the ball with just seven turnovers all game, while also knocking down 85.7 percent (18-of-21) of their free throw attempts.
 
Western New England, which led 19-16 following a three-pointer by senior guard Andre Joyner (Norwich, Conn.) at the 13:24 mark of the first half, fell victim to a 14-1 Nichols run over the next three and a half minutes as the Bison claimed a 30-20 lead with just under ten minutes left before the break.
 
The home team held its largest lead of the game (39-28) after Echevarria connected from long range with 6:28 on the clock, but an 18-5 Western New England run the rest of the way, powered by seven points from Agrait, allowed the Golden Bears to regain a two-point edge (46-44) heading into halftime.
 
The lead changed hands several times early in the second half, as neither team was able to build more than a four-point cushion until Agrait knocked down a jumper in transition with 8:48 remaining that gave the Golden Bears a 70-65 advantage. After Echevarria converted a pair of free throws on Nichols' next possession, Western New England posted an 8-0 run to extend its lead to 11 (78-67), as Pettway, Agrait and Askew got to the rim with ease for layups.
 
The Golden Bears led by a game-high 13 points (86-73) after Agrait went 2-for-2 at the free throw line with 4:21 left in the contest, but Nichols would not go quietly, eventually cutting its deficit to three (88-85) on Eggleston's traditional three-point play with just under two minutes on the clock. Pettway helped keep the Bison at bay, however, converting a layup on Western New England's next possession before icing the game with five free throws down the stretch.
 
The Golden Bears will be right back in action with another tough test on Saturday afternoon, as defending CCC champion and preseason favorite Endicott College visits the Alumni Healthful Living Center for a 3 p.m. contest. Nichols hits the road on Saturday to take on Eastern Nazarene in Quincy, Mass.