Swarthmore, Pa. – Stockton University (24-6) saw its 2022-23 season come to an end with an 86-68 defeat to Nichols College (26-5) in the sectional round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA Tournament. The Ospreys suffered their second-worst shooting game of the season at an inopportune time, hitting just 28.6 percent from the field.
 
DJ Campbell (Vineland/Vineland) led Stockton with a team-high 25 points followed by Kyion Flanders (Wildwood/Wildwood) with 20 markers plus eight rebounds in his final game as an Osprey. Flanders hit five three-pointers.
 
Kadian Dawkins (Eastampton/Rancocas Valley) ended his career with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Rynell Lawrence (Millville/Millville) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and scored seven points.
 
Stockton led for just 6:35 of the game's 40 minutes. Four early points by Flanders sparked the Ospreys to a 6-0 lead, but Nichols answered with a 15-4 run to pull ahead 15-10. After trailing by as much as 11, Stockton found itself down just 39-32 after Flanders sank a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half.
 
Flanders paced the Ospreys with 10 first-half points followed by Campbell and Dawkins with six apiece. Stockton was fortunate to be within seven after shooting 29.3 percent (12-41) overall and 21.1 percent (4-19) from three-point range while Nichols connected at 51.6 percent in the half.
 
Stockton erased its deficit by shooting a blistering 8-11 (72.7%) in the opening six minutes of the second half. Ten points by Campbell led a 20-12 spurt that gave the Ospreys a brief 52-51 lead. Nichols then outscored Stockton 18-3 in the next five minutes for a 69-55 count with 9:25 remaining.
 
The Ospreys made one last charge, scoring their next 11 points at the free throw line for an 11-2 run that closed the gap to 71-66 after Campbell sank all three after being fouled outside the arc with 5:24 to play.
 
The rally fizzled as Nichols reeled off eight unanswered point to make it 79-66, and Stockton was unable to recover. The Ospreys trailed by double figures for the last 4:21 and saw their season conclude with the 86-68 defeat.
 
Jakigh Dottin led Nichols with a game-high 34 points while shooting a torrid 13-17 (76.5%) from the field. Tavon Jones and Quincy Ferebee netted 16 and 15 markers respectively. Nichols entered the game averaging 85.7 points and hit their mark by shooting 53.3 percent (32-60) from the floor in the contest.
 
Despite the outcome, the season was an outstanding one for a Stockton team that played to honor the memory of long-time assistant coach Bob Hutchings, who suffered a heart attack in November and passed away in January.
 
The Ospreys won 24 games, fifth most in school history, reached the NJAC championship game for the fourth straight year and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.