GORHAM, Maine  –  Mykel Derring scored a game-high 27 points, including 16 in the second half, as the Nichols College Bison overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies 76-74 in a non-conference men's basketball game Friday afternoon at Hill Gymnasium. 
 
Derring was 7-for-15 from three-point range for the game-high total, leading four Bison in double-figures.  Dominic Mello added 17 points, while Jason Ofcarcik had 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. Ofcarcik was 7-for-9 from the floor in the game, including a perfect 6-for-6 in the second half.  Tavon Jones added 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to fill the stat sheet.
 
Senior Chance Dixon (Lake Worth, Fla/Santaluces) led the Huskies with 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting, adding three rebounds and two assists.  Sophomore Tommy Whelan (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep) had 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, while senior Cody Hawes (Carmel, Maine/Hermon) added 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. 
 
The Records:
Nichols College (7-3, 1-1 CCC)
Southern Maine (5-6, 1-2 Little East)
 
Today's game just the second meeting between the Nichols College Bison and the University of Southern Maine Huskies.  Nichols won the first contest, 86-71, on January 2, 2018 in Dudley, Mass.   
 
How It Happened:

• The Huskies shot 55.2 percent (16-for-29) in the opening half and raced out to a 38-24 lead at the break.  After giving up the first basket of the game, Southern Maine scored the next nine points unanswered at led wire-to-wire in the first half. 
• Nichols made it a one-point game, 15-14, at the 9:08 mark following a three from Derring, but the Huskies responded with a 9-0 run to led 24-14 with 7:02 on the clock.  Whelan and Hawes had back-to-back layups before freshman Justin Allen (Franklin, Mass.) drained a three and Dixon converted a layup to cap the run.
• Nichols again cut into the Huskies lead, making it a two-possession game, 27-22, with 4:34 on the clock on another three from Derring, but Southern Maine scored 11 consecutive point to take its largest lead of the game 38-22 with 1:55 in the half.  Dixon had four points in the run, while Allen hit his second three of the half to highlight.  Nihcols was 0-for-4 from the floor with two turnovers during that stretch.  The Bison scored the final bucket of the half to trail by 14 at the break.
• Nichols started the second half with a statement as Simon Percy snagged an offensive rebound and hit the dunk for the first bucket; however, the Huskies remained comfortably in front 44-28 after Whelan's driving layup with 17:40 showing. 
• Whelan's field goal was the last for the Huskies, however, for the next six minutes.  The Bison used a 14-2 run during that stretch to make it a four-point game, 46-44, with 11:13 to play.  The Bison were 6-for-8 during the pivotal run, while Jones converted a pair of traditional three-point plays.  The Huskies' lone points were two free throws from freshman Brady Saunders (Brewer, Maine). 
• After trading baskets, USM was able to extend its lead to eight, 52-44, on a jumper from Dixon and a layup from Saunders with 9:01 to play.  The Huskies stay in front 60-52 on a three from Hawes with 7:16 on the clock before Nichols' Derring hit back-to-back threes as part of a 12-5 spurt to make it a one-point game 65-64 with 4:13 on the clock.
• Allen hit his third three of the game to give the Huskies some breathing room, 68-64, with 3:22 to play, but the Bison continued to click offensively going 4-for-4 from the field, and 3-for-4 from the free throw line, in the final minutes to outscore the Huskies 12-6 in the final minutes.  After Allen's three, Deshaun Nettles and Mello bookended one of two free throws from USM's Saunders to make it a 69-68 game before Derring canned his seventh three of the game at the 1:24 mark to give the Bison their first lead since the opening basket, 71-69. 
• Hawes tied the game up on USM's next possession with two free throws, but the Bison outscored USM 5-3 in the final minute for the win. Dixon hit a three as time expired for the 76-74 final.

 
Inside The Stats:

• Nichols scored 52 points in the second half, shooting 70.4 percent from the field (19-for-27).  The Bison shot just 31 percent (9-for-29) from the field in the opening half.  Nichols finished the game shooting 50 percent (28-for-56).
• The Huskies shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field in the game, and went 8-for-22 from three. 
• Nichols scored 24 points off of 18 Husky turnovers.  Southern Maine scored nine points off of Nichols' miscues. 
• The Bison outscored USM 34-30 in the paint.  In the first half, Southern Maine had a 18-8 lead in points in the paint. 
• With his six rebounds in today's game, Hawes surpassed the 500-rebound mark, and has 503 in his career. He has 803 points, 503 rebounds, 279 assists, and 105 steals.
• Dixon's 24 points in today's game gives him 907 in his career. He has 907 points, 167 rebounds, 118 assists, and 68 steals.

 
Up Next:
The Huskies travel for their next contest and return to Little East Conference action facing UMass Boston on Wednesday, January 3 (7:30 pm). Southern Maine is home for its next two contests facing Western Connecticut on Saturday, January 6 (3:00 pm) and UMass Dartmouth on Thursday, January 11 (3:00 pm) – both games are LEC contests.
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