Balanced offensive effort paces Nicholls past NSU, 87-71

THIBODAUX, La. — Utilizing a double-digit lead at the midway point combined with a wave of second-half momentum, the Nicholls State University men’s basketball program (16-6, 13-2 SLC) orchestrated a dominant victory over Southland rival Northwestern State (9-16, 8-6 SLC) to close out the Red & Gray’s home schedule, powering past the Demons by a decisive 87-71 mark Monday evening at Stopher Gym, good for the team’s sixth-straight win within league play.

After NSU surged out to a 4-1 edge to open the contest, the Colonels were quick to respond, capturing their first advantage less than a minute later (5-4 at 17:57) in a lead they would maintain — in varying degrees — for the remainder of the matchup. The opening period would see Nicholls jump ahead by as many as 18 points while the Red & Gray second-half edge grew as large as 23 on a few occasions; overall, the Colonels sought to take advantage of as many of the team’s developed strengths as possible, including a quick game pace — notched a 27-to-14 margin in fast break points — along with points down low — 52-to-30 edge for points in the paint.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
— For the night, Nicholls finished shooting 52.2 percent (36-of-69) from the floor, 25.0 percent (5-of-20) at the three-point line and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the charity stripe.
— With the win, the Colonels secure the team’s sixth season sweep of the year, sending Northwestern State to join Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana, Central Arkansas, HBU and New Orleans in the Red & Gray graveyard. Notably, the victory positions Nicholls just one short of a share of the Southland Conference regular-season title, not to mention a lock on the No. 2 seed — along with the invaluable triple bye — as the upcoming league tournament approaches within the next week.
— Individually, the Colonels put together a well-balanced offensive attack throughout the evening, finishing with four in double-digits yet no players above the 20-point threshold. In pure standout fashion, redshirt senior Andre Jones impressed as he racked up the first technical double-double of his career (posted a triple-double last season against Campbellsville-Harrodsburg) through the first half alone, finishing the evening with 16 points and 14 rebounds along with a game-high five assists.
— Meanwhile, fellow redshirt senior Jaylen Fornes continued to prove why he’s moved into the starting lineup the past three games, notching his third-consecutive double-digit outing behind team-best 18 points on a 7-of-10 shooting performance.
— Senior Ryghe Lyons and junior Najee Garvin tacked on the other pair of double-digit showings for the Red & Gray, combining for 23 points on the night along with 14 boards. Further, Lyons put an exclamation point on his submission for the league’s All-Defensive team, swatting another four blocks in his 13th multi-block game of the season.
— Along that same thread, senior Kevin Johnson contributed a meaningful stat line during his final competition within the sacred walls of Stopher Gym, racking up nine points, a squad-high five assists and two steals; notably, the local product now sits just six steals short of tying the program career record for the category (James Banks, 1996-00, 247) and continues to pace the conference with 57 already this year.

UP NEXT
Following the conclusion of the home schedule, the Red & Gray pack their bags for the regular-season finale at in-state rival McNeese, battling the Cowboys on Thursday evening in Lake Charles, La., tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. Of specific note, the Colonels will be playing for a share of the Southland Conference regular-season championship for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

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