WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Big third quarter propels Colonels in 63-51 win over McNeese

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women’s basketball team outscored McNeese, 23-2, in the third quarter as the Colonels swept the Cowgirls with a 63-51 victory Wednesday night in Stopher Gymnasium.

With the victory, Nicholls (13-13, 8-7 SLC) climbed back to .500 on the season and inched closer to clinching its seventh-straight postseason appearance. The sweep of McNeese (11-15, 7-9 SLC) was the fourth for the Colonels in the regular season series since 2013.

Cassidy Barrios turned in her 13th double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds and played a vital role in the Colonels taking over the game in the third. With Nicholls trailing 24-23 at the break, Barrios hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 run to start the third. McNeese scored a field goal to break up the spurt, but the Colonels answered by shutting down the Cowgirls in the final five minutes of the quarter while extending their lead to 46-26.

A basket-and-one by Destiny Collins in the fourth gave Nicholls its largest lead at 51-30, but McNeese eventually withered the deficit down to seven points with 1:24 to go. However, Barrios hit six free throws and scored on a putback to help seal the win.

With both teams shooting just 30 percent from the field, there were a lot of rebounds to be had, and Nicholls came out on top, 53-41, which included 20 on the offensive end. Bryanna Washington (5 points) came off the bench and had eight boards and helped the Colonels to a 20-6 advantage in second-chance points.

The teams were back-and-forth in the first half, with McNeese leading 15-9 after 10 minutes of play. Nicholls made only 3 of 17 shots in the opening quarter before outscoring McNeese 14-9 in the second.

With Nicholls leading 33-26 after McNeese’s lone third-quarter bucket, the Colonels recorded assists on their four field goals. The highlight of the run came when Tykeria Williams (7 points) found Tia Charles (8 points) inside and the senior banked in a turn-around jumper right before the shot clock expired. Charles led Nicholls with five assists.

Washington scored all five of her points to help fuel the quarter-ending 15-0 run.

McNeese was led by Caitlin Davis with 17 points and six assists. Nicholls held the Cowgirl leading scorer to 5 of 17 from the field.

UP NEXT

Nicholls will host rival New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 24 for its annual Pink Game, promoting breast cancer awareness. The contest will air on ESPN3 and is scheduled to tipoff at 4 p.m.