BRISTOL, R.I. – No. 4 Roger Williams is set to host No. 5 Nichols on Tuesday evening at 5:30 for the first round of the Conference of New England Playoff Tournament.
 
Following the Hawks dominating performance on Saturday afternoon, which saw them put up a whopping 115 points, they secured the No. 4 seed in the upcoming CNE Playoff Tournament. Securing the No. 4 seed in the tournament ensured a first-round home game for the men.
 
This season, the Hawks and the Bison have met two times, splitting the season series 1-1. In the first matchup, the Hawks traveled to Dudley, Mass. where Nichols controlled the Hawks enroute to a 97-77 victory. In the win for the Bison, Javon Flowers-Smith put up a career high 44 points on 17/24 shooting from the field, adding eight assists in the process. The opponent would also control the glass in the win, outrebounding the Hawks 42-29.
 
The two teams would meet again in Bristol, R.I. where the Hawks would get their revenge, scraping out a 70-68 win due in part to a Ryan Higgins (Boston, Mass.) three-point jumper that put the men ahead by two with just five seconds to play. Higgins would put 17 points in the win, with Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) adding a game-high 21 points as well.
 
Roger Williams and Nichols are no strangers to each other in the conference playoffs, as they have met two times in the last four playoff tournaments. Back in 2019-20 season, the No. 7 Hawks would visit the No. 2 Bison where the Hawks would lead by as much as 19 points with 10 minutes to play, before Nichols would come storming back to avoid the upset. The Bison would go on to win their third straight conference tournament that season.
 
The two teams would meet in the playoffs again last season (2023-24) where the No. 5 Hawks once again traveled up to Dudley, Mass. to take on the No. 1 seeded Bison in a semi-final matchup. The Hawks would shock the Bison on their home court, winning 86-80, and putting an end to Nichols run of five straight conference championships.
 
Following Tuesday evening's matchup in Bristol, the winner will travel to No. 1 seeded Western New England to take on the Golden Bears on Thursday evening. On the other side of the CNE bracket, No. 3 Suffolk will host No. 6 Wentworth, with the winner traveling to No. 2 Endicott on Thursday as well.