CARLISLE, Pa. - The Ursinus men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking conference loss, falling on the road to Dickinson College 72-70.

 
The Bears drop to 12-7 on the year with the loss, and 5-2 in conference play. The Red Devils improved to 5-14 on the year, and 2-5 in the conference.

 
Senior forward Mohamed Toure led the Bears in scoring with 19 points, along with six rebounds. Senior guard Luke Nieman finished with 11 points on three 3-point makes. Senior guard Nick Nocito had nine points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. His performance helped him become the 33rd player in Bears history to surpass 1000 career points.

 
The teams began the game trading baskets, but the Red Devils' physicality in transition earned them an early advantage, leading 21-14 with 12:49 remaining in the first half. Key baskets from first-year guard Jasper Buck and sophomore Porter Kelly helped the Bears close the lead to two with 8:22 remaining in the first half. The Red Devils finished the half strong though, capitalizing of Bears turnovers giving the team a 5-point lead at the break.

 
A strong start to the half for the Bears gave them their first lead since the 16:06 mark in the first half, with Toure knocking down a crucial 3-pointer to put the team up one at 44-43. The teams battled back-and-forth, but key baskets by first-year Trevor Toulson gave the Bears a 51-50 lead with 12:45 remaining. Stellar 3-point shooting helped the Red Devils build their lead back up, however, taking a 66-55 lead with 7:48 remaining, off a 15-5 run.
 

Some stops on the defensive end, and some physical play on offense, allowed the Bears to crawl back into the game late. Key free throws from Toulson and Toure cut the Dickinson lead to just one with 55 seconds remaining. With 25 seconds remaining, each defense forced a turnover leading to a 72-70 deficit for the Bears with 12 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing possession, Murphy received a pass at the top of arc and drove to the right side of the basket. Murphy went up with a right-handed layup, but the shot bounced off the iron and rolled out. Nocito grabbed the offensive rebound for Ursinus, but they were unable to get a shot off, falling 72-70.

 
Ursinus shot 41.3% from the field (26-of-63), 40.9% from 3-point range (9-of-22), and 64.3% from the free throw line (9-of-14). Dickinson shot 47.4% from the field (27-of-57), 30.8% from 3-point range (8-of-26), and 55.6% from the free throw line (10-of-18). They also led Ursinus in second chance points, 19-10.


Ursinus will return to action on Wednesday, February 4th, for a conference matchup against Franklin and Marshall. The game will begin at 7:00 P.M.