Box Score WORCESTER, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team missed 26 of 30 three-point field goal attempts in dropping a 74-56 decision to No. 10 nationally-ranked Nichols College in the season-opener for both schools Friday night in the opening round of the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament at Harrington Auditorium.
In Saturday's 1 p.m. consolation game, Eastern faces host and No. 16 nationally-ranked WPI (2-1), which lost for only the second time in nine games in its own tournament, 78-73 to New England College (2-0) in Friday's first-round game. The Pilgrims are coming off a 22-4 season while WPI was 19-9 a year ago.
Until Friday, WPI's only loss in this tournament had come two years ago, 78-68, to Eastern in the title game.
Against Nichols, Eastern trailed by only five at halftime but was outscored by 13 in the second half. The Warriors shot 31.5 percent from the floor, including 13.3 percent on three-point attempts.
Junior guard Cory Muckle (Westbrook) led Eastern with 13 points while sophomore guard Thomas Close (East Hampton) had a career-high 11 in his first career start and first-year transfer guard Shawn Gashi (Syracuse, NY) netted 11 points off the bench. Sophomore forward Seth Thomas (Norwich) had a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with seven points.
DeAnte Bruton led four double-figure scorers for Nichols with 17 points, Jaekwon Spencer adding 12 points and eight rebounds, Matt Morrow 12 points and 12 rebounds and Kash Jackson ten points.
Nichols is coming off last year's NCAA Division III Elite Eight appearance. The Bison were 28-3 last year.
Eastern and Nichols were meeting in regular-season tournament play for the second straight year. Last year, Nichols edged Eastern, 79-73 in the opening round of the Naismith Classic before the Warriors bounced back the next day for a 74-59 win over host Springfield.
