DUDLEY, Mass. – Sophomore Nolan Burke (Worcester, Mass.) led Plymouth State University with two goals and an assist in a 12-7 defeat at Nichols College on Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference men's lacrosse matchup. Nichols jumpstarted the day with two goals before Burke interrupted its attack with a strike past the home goaltender to cut the margin in half before the Bison tacked on two more goals for a 5-1 lead. Plymouth State trailed 7-2 heading into the third quarter before Burke tossed an assist to freshman Matt Miner (Chelmsford, Mass.) to spark a three-goal surge to pull within 7-5. The Panthers were unable to get closer the rest of the way, however, as the Bison ended regulation with a 12-7 advantage. Plymouth State falls to 2-5, as Nichols picks up the win to go to 2-5. The Basics: Plymouth State 7, Nichols 12 Plymouth State (2-5) Nichols (2-5) Top Performers: Nolan Burke (2 goals, 1 ast, 4 gb) Mike Fleury (1 goal, 1 ast, 1 gb) Jack Bonazzoli (3 gb, 2 ct) How it Happened: Nichols took control early with four goals in the first quarter, but Burke sandwiched a goal between Bisons' scores to put the Panthers on the board for a 4-1 score entering the second. As Nichols extended its lead with another score, sophomore Liam Brown (Center Harbor, N.H.) punched in a goal with a helper from junior Mike Fleury (Lebanon, N.H.) to cut into the deficit. Nichols' momentum continued, however, with two more tallies to lead 7-2 entering halftime. The Panthers got fired up in the second half as Miner teamed up with sophomore Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) and Burke for three consecutive goals. Their momentum got cut short as the Bison converted a man-up goal to keep a three-goal lead of 8-5 with one quarter left. Nichols put in another goal, but not without Fleury launching his first to the back of the cage along with sophomore Ryan Hanlon (Hull, Mass.) pitching one in to close the gap to 9-7. The Panthers could not hold off the Bison as they ballooned the lead to close out the game, 12-7. By the Numbers: The Panthers were 1-for-4 in man-up attempts, while Nichols went 4-for-9. Sophomore Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) had 10 saves and added six ground balls. PSU had eight caused turnovers on the afternoon, led by sophomore Jack Bonazzoli (Clinton, Mass.) who had two. Nichols held a 44-32 advantage in shots. The game was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2008 season. Up Next: The Panthers open Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday (Mar. 26) when they travel to the University of Massachusetts Boston for a 1:00 p.m. tilt.