Koen registered 12 of his game-high 17 points in the first half as the Falcons, who never trailed in the game, raced out to a 51-24 lead at the intermission. Nick Smith (Fitchburg, MA/Leominster) tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season and sixth of his career. Peter Uzoma (Boston, MA/Concord-Carlisle) notched 10 points and 6 rebounds despite dodging foul trouble throughout the game. Freshman Jeff Kozik (Auburn, MA) came off the bench and contributed a career-best 7 steals including 6 in the first half.
Jah’maine Mercer (Bridgeport, CT) paced Nichols with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Casey Butler (East Longmeadow, MA) added 13 points and 7 rebounds for the Bison while Jerome Edgerton (Pittsfield, MA) potted 12 points.
The Falcons are off until Thursday when they travel to Clark for a 7pm contest. Nichols also returns to action on Thursday when they entertain Becker at 7pm.
Newspaper Box Score Nichols vs Fitchburg State 12/6/05 7:00pm at Fitchburg, MA At Fitchburg, MA FITCHBURG STATE 73, NICHOLS 58 NICHOLS (2-3) Jah'maine Mercer 5-10 5-8 15; Casey Butler 3-7 5-10 13; Jerome Edgerton 4-5 4-7 12; Greg Sturdahl 2-4 1-2 7; Justin Lewis 2-11 0-0 4; Jeff Lindgren 1-3 0-0 3; Dave Berkland 1-1 0-0 2; Chris Vallee 0-4 2-4 2; Ron Powers 0-0 0-0 0; Scott LaTorra 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-47 17-31 58. FITCHBURG STATE (4-2) Dan Koen 5-9 3-4 17; Nick Smith 5-8 0-0 11; Peter Uzoma 3-8 4-4 10; Matt Collins 3-10 0-0 8; Brian Skiffington 2-9 2-2 7; Jeff Kozik 3-10 1-1 7; Andrew Vayo 3-7 0-0 6; Mike Woods 1-4 2-4 5; Kiki Desormes 1-2 0-1 2. Totals 26-67 12-16 73. Nichols....................... 24 34 - 58 Fitchburg State............... 51 22 - 73 3-point goals-Nichols 5-11 (Casey Butler 2-4; Greg Sturdahl 2-3; Jeff Lindgren 1-2; Chris Vallee 0-1; Scott LaTorra 0-1), Fitchburg State 9-27 (Dan Koen 4-7; Matt Collins 2-7; Mike Woods 1-4; Nick Smith 1-1; Brian Skiffington 1-3; Jeff Kozik 0-4; Peter Uzoma 0-1). Fouled out--Nichols-Chris Vallee, Fitchburg State-Peter Uzoma. Rebounds-Nichols 37 (Jah'maine Mercer 8), Fitchburg State 41 (Nick Smith 11). Assists-Nichols 13 (Jah'maine Mercer 5), Fitchburg State 10 (Matt Collins 3). Total fouls-Nichols 17, Fitchburg State 24. A-250