First-place Nicholls notches fourth straight road win, 69-65, over ACU

ABILENE, Texas – For the first time since 1998, the Nicholls State University men’s basketball team has prevailed in four road league games, besting Abilene Christian University 69-65 Wednesday night at Moody Coliseum.

Seniors Jahvaughn Powell and Roddy Peters shared 18 points apiece as Peters flirted with a triple-double, tallying nine rebounds and seven assists. Senior Lafayette Rutledge totaled 12 and fellow senior Kimani Jackson added his second double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.

The Colonels (15-9, 9-2 SLC) were down 35-33 at the break despite 13 first-half points from Powell and a heave from Rutledge in the final seconds. Nicholls converted just 38 percent from the field in the opening period.

Leading 48-47 with 12:39 to play, Rutledge drained a 3-pointer that sparked a 15-2 run to increase the margin to 63-49. The Wildcats (14-11, 6-6 SLC) battled back with 11 straight to make it a one-possession game at 63-61 before Peters rewidened the deficit with back-to-back layups. Up three with 42 seconds to go, Nicholls forced two misses and knocked down a free throw to put the game out of reach.

Peters earned 12 second-half points, contributing 5-7 field goals to a 50-percent mark (14-28) for the squad. ACU’s Jalen Lewis manage 18 points and 21 rebounds in the loss.

The Colonels commence a two-game home stretch Saturday against Houston Baptist University. Tipoff from Stopher Gymnasium is set for 3 p.m.

Get your season or single game tickets now by calling 985-448-4790 or visiting nichollstickets.com. To stay up to date with Nicholls men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_MBB.