DUDLEY, Mass. (February 23, 2016) - Senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) and freshman Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) combined for 57 points as top-seeded Nichols College posted a 107-68 victory over eighth-seeded Western New England University this evening in the quarterfinal round of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament at the Nichols Athletic Center.
 
With the win, the Bison (23-3, 16-2 CCC) advance to Thursday's CCC semifinal round, where they will take on fourth-seeded Endicott. Western New England sees its season come to a close at 8-18 (6-12 CCC).
 
Freshman guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) led the Golden Bears with 12 points and five rebounds, while classmate Tyler Johnson (Vernon, Conn.) also finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go with three boards in just 12 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.) rounded out Western New England's three double-figure scorers, chipping in with 11 points and three rebounds.
 
Koumare paced the Bison with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Echevarria added 26 points, connecting on 6-of-12 three pointers, while CCC Player of the Year Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) posted the game's only double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.
 
Nichols opened the game on an 11-0 run and never looked back, leading 17-2 just over five minutes in and 35-11 midway through the first half. The Bison were able to take a 30-point advantage into the break en route to their seventh 100+ point performance this season.
 
Western New England shot 34.3 percent (23-of-67) from the field, while Nichols turned in a 45.1 percent (37-of-82) clip. The Golden Bears held a 35-22 advantage in bench points, led by Johnson's 12 point effort and seven from junior Keegan Dudeck (Longmeadow, Mass.).