No. 2 Nicholls ousted in Southland semifinals by No. 3 SFA

KATY, Texas – The second-seeded Nicholls State University men’s basketball dropped a 78-66 decision to No. 3 Stephen F. Austin Friday night in the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament at the Merrell Center.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Nicholls head coach Richie Riley said. “We knew that it would be. Stephen F. Austin is the flagship of our conference. Obviously we were a little undermanned with [Tevon] Saddler out, but they have a heck of a team. They have a way of making you not play real well. They defended us at the rim without fouling better than any team we’ve played all season.”

The Colonels (22-10) were fronted by seniors Roddy Peters and Lafayette Rutledge. Peters recorded a double-double with 26 points and 12 boards, and Rutledge added 24 points on six 3s. Nicholls shot just 29 percent (17-59) from the field, the lowest mark this season.

The Lumberjacks (27-6) received 27 points from Shannon Bogues. TJ Holyfield neared a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks. SFA finished with a 43-34 rebounding edge and outscored Nicholls 31-3 in bench points.

Rutledge knocked down a triple to commence the game, but the Lumberjacks responded with a 24-6 run, holding the Colonels without a field goal for a 7 minute, 29 second stretch. Nicholls missed 15 straight shots from the field as SFA built a 24-9 advantage.

The Colonels got it to within eight on three separate occasions in the first half but were never able to break through. Senior guard Jahvaughn Powell earned three fouls in the first 11 minutes of the opening period, playing just seven first-half minutes. The Red and Grey found themselves down 37-27 at the half.

A 9-0 run in the second half capped by a trey from freshman Kevin Johnson closed the deficit to five at 59-54 with 6:41 to go. The Lumberjacks countered by tallying 10 of the next 12 points, eventually hanging on to victory.

“It’s been really special,” Riley said. “I told my crew in there – No. 1 I told them how much I love them. These guys came and took a chance on a 33-year-old head coach who had never called his own timeout. I told them we wanted to change the program when we recruited these guys. I just now told them, ‘You did.’ Not only that but they helped a young coach learn on his way. Having a special group like that – I can’t tell you how unbelievably blessed I was to have these guys in our program and how thankful I am for what they did for our program.”

SFA will face No. 1 Southeastern Louisiana, winners over No. 4 Sam Houston State in Friday’s other semifinal, in the SLC final Saturday scheduled for 8 p.m.

To stay up to date with Nicholls men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_MBB.