Salve Regina hosts Nichols College

Summary: Salve Regina University men's basketball hosts Nichols College in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) meeting at the Rodgers Recreation Center (3 p.m. tip-off)

Match-up: Salve Regina Seahawks (7-2; 2-0 CCC) versus Nichols Bison (5-3; 2-0 CCC)

Game date, time and site: Sat., Jan. 4, 2014; 3 p.m. @ Newport, R.I. (Rodgers Recreation Center)

Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/salveregina

Video/Audio: http://bit.ly/19Mpnue (Salve Regina men's basketball channel on ustream.tv; Bobb Angel provides the call in simulcast with WADK-AM)

Directions: http://bit.ly/1c4fubM

Tickets: Free admission

Series edge: Salve Regina leads 24-16

Last Seahawk win in series: Salve Regina won 86-75 on February 12, 2013, in Dudley.

Last Bison win in series: Nichols won 73-70 on January 17, 2013, in Newport.

Follow the Seahawks on Twitter @SRUsportsinfo

• Salve Regina leads, 24-16, in a series that began in 1982.
• The teams split last season's two meetings, each winning on the other's home court.
• William Smiley dropped in a game-high 32 points to pace the Salve Regina University men's basketball team to an 86-75 victory over Nichols College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action February 12, 2013, at the Nichols Athletic Center. Smiley went 12-of-16 from the floor (75 percent) and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. The 6-foot-3 captain added six rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in 35 minutes of action. Joshua Hohlfelder chipped in with 16 points and six rebounds while Jeff Bielefeld snared a game-high 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. 
• Salve Regina has won nine of the last 10 meetings.
• The last two times the Seahawks have scored 100 or more points in a game have come against the Bison, and they both occurred in 2009 at the Rodgers Recreation Center. Salve Regina won 100-79 in regular-season meeting on January 21, 2009, and hosted Nichols in first-round CCC playoffs with a 102-99 double overtime victory on February 24, 2009. Justin Woodworth played all 50 minutes and led all players with 29 points.
• Salve Regina's eight-straight victories against the Bison (Jan. 23, 2008 - Feb. 23, 2012) is the longest win streak in the series.
• Their last postseason meeting was a 81-80 win for Salve Regina in Newport on February 23, 2012. 

• Thursday's non-league meeting finally got underway at 5:30 p.m. and the Seahawks used a 20-4 run late in the second half to upset the 19th-ranked Panthers, 76-69, at the Rodgers Recreation Center.
• The last time Salve Regina men's basketball (7-2) hosted a nationally-ranked team, head coach Sean Foster was a senior guard for the Seahawks when his team lost to Amherst, 84-81, at the Martin Recreation Center ("The Hut") on January 13, 1997.
• Sophomore guard Barrett Hanlon played all 40 minutes and led all scorers with 28 points. Hanlon's first 3-pointer at 18:18 in the first gave the Seahawks their first lead, 5-2.
• In the second half, senior Patrick Dinneen asserted himself from the outset while scoring two quick layups for Salve Regina.
• Hanlon had an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the score at 39-39.
• Senior Jeff Bielefeld and Dinneen both had game-tying layups at 16:26 and 13:41, respectively.
• Senior Joshua Hohlfelder swished a 3-point shot from in front of his bench to start the 20-4 run.
• Dinneen had two layups during the run while Hanlon fashioned another old-style three-point play. Bielefeld had his own basket and free throw and classmate Hohlfelder knocked down another 3-point basket.
• Salve Regina's largest lead (14 points; 65-51) came after a free throw from freshman Nicholas Bates at 4:35 in the second..

• The Nichols College men's basketball team saw four student-athletes score nine or more points en route to a 78-72 win over Gordon College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action December 7, 2013, at the Nichols Athletic Center.
• The Bison did not record a field goal over the final 7:34 of the contest as they scored their final 20 points from the free throw line to move to 5-3 on the season and 2-0 in conference play.
• Senior captain Ryan Sheehan rattled in 12-of-13 from the charity stripe and finished with a team-high 23 points.

• This is third time Salve Regina men's basketball plays on January 4.
• The first came in a loss to Trinity (Conn.) in Springfield in 2000.
• The Seahawks hosted Worcester State in 2007 on this date and won 71-65.

• Please click here for an individual career history report (pdf) for the entire 2013-14 Salve Regina men's basketball roster. 

• Seniors Jeff Bielefeld and Joshua Hohlfelder share captains' duties for the 2013-14 season.
• 12th-year head coach Sean Foster remarks: "Our staff is excited to have such dynamic leadership going into the 2013-14 season. Jeff and Josh are tremendous people, excellent students and hard-working athletes. Their positive example will be extremely beneficial to our younger players." 

TEAM - POINTS (FIRST-PLACE VOTES)
1. Gordon - 90 (4)
2. Curry - 89 (4)
3. Endicott - 81 (2)
4. Nichols - 64
5. Salve Regina - 51
6. Eastern Nazarene - 49
7. Roger Williams - 40
7. Wentworth - 40
9. U. of New England - 28
10. Western New Eng. - 18

• Ryan Sheehan (23.5 ppg) and Barrett Hanlon (18.0 ppg) are the top two scorers in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Patrick Dinneen (15.1 ppg) ranks fifth in scoring.
• Jeff Bielefeld ranks third in rebounding (8.6 rpg).

• Both teams are on the road Tuesday to face Commonwealth Coast Conference opponents - Salve Regina travels to Endicott College while Nichols moves on to Milton, Mass., to face Curry College.
• Salve Regina returns home on Thursday, January 9, when it hosts University of New England.

• Jeff Bielefeld leads the Seahawks with four double-doubles on the season.
• Nicholas Bates has the only other double-double for the Seahawks, posting the first of his career in his first home game.

• Sean Foster is in his 12th season as the head coach, the winningest in the history of the Seahawks (147-154; .488).
• His 4-0 start for the 2013-14 season marked the best in program history.
• Foster welcomes new assistants Matt Adams and Tyler Hundley to his coaching staff.

• Patrick Dinneen now has 866 career points, ranking 24th on the school's all-time scoring list for men's basketball.

• Players closest to the 1,000-point career milestone in Seahawk uniforms are both seniors from Medfield, Mass. - Marissa Pendergast (942) and Patrick Dinneen (866).