Late Colonels charge falls short at SFA, 70-64

NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Despite putting together a few late rallies to pull within one possession, the Nicholls State University men’s basketball program (14-9, 8-4 Southland) was unable to overcome a highly-talented Stephen F. Austin (20-3, 11-1 Southland) squad backed by a hostile home crowd, falling by a final 70-64 margin Wednesday evening at William R. Johnson Coliseum.

A pair of resilient efforts from redshirt junior Andre Jones and fellow junior Kevin Johnson paced the Colonels on the scoreboard, posting 13 points apiece along with a combined five assists and two steals. Meanwhile, strong post-play from senior Elvis Harvey Jr. and sophomore Warith Alatishe bolstered the pair into double figures as well, dropping 11 points each with the latter earning his seventh double-double of the season behind team-high 10 boards.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
— For the game, Nicholls finished shooting 42.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field, 23.5 percent (4-of-17) at the three-point line and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the charity stripe.
— The loss serves as the 14th consecutive for the Colonels in Nacogdoches, a stretch that dates back a decade.
— While the Lumberjacks entered the contest as the league’s top harassment squad (second nationally in steals per game, first in turnovers forced per game), the Red & Gray managed to outwork Stephen F. Austin throughout the evening in both associated categories, swiping 10 steals to SFA’s five while generating 20 turnovers and surrendering just 15.
— In addition to pacing the Red & Gray on the glass, Alatishe led the way for the Colonels defensively as well, picking up a team-best four steals while Harvey Jr. added three of his own.

UP NEXT
With the two-week roadtrip in the books, the Red & Gray head back to Thibodaux for a trio of a home contests within the friendly confines of Stopher Gym, opening that slate against league No. 2 Sam Houston State on Saturday, Feb. 8 at approximately 3 p.m.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Men’s Basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_MBB), Instagram (@geauxcolonels) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Athletics).