Williams scores game-high 21 in Nicholls home loss to No. 6 Baylor

THIBODAUX, La.  – Sophomore Tykeria Williams scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the first quarter as the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team trailed No. 6 Baylor by only six points, but the Lady Bears clamped down on defense the rest of the way and handed the Colonels an 85-43 setback at Stopher Gymnasium Monday night.

With the loss, Nicholls slipped to 5-5 and saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Baylor improved to 10-1 on the season and 3-0 in the all-time series.

Williams was the lone Colonel to reach double figures, knocking down 8 of 18 shots and four 3-pointers. She helped fuel the strong opening period for Nicholls which saw it trail 21-15 after 10 minutes, but Baylor held the Colonels to six points each in the second and third quarters to pull away.

Baylor shot 56 percent for the night, and their size caused fits for the Colonel offense, holding Nicholls to 28 percent. Six Lady Bears scored 11 or more points, highlighted by 18 from Louisiana native Kalani Brown.

Baylor used its size to dominate the glass for a 55-23 advantage. BU outscored Nicholls 21-0 on second-chance points and had a 44-20 margin in points in the paint.

Nicholls shot 26 3-pointers and hit five for a 19 percent clip. Williams opened the scoring for Nicholls with a 3 and Tia Charles followed with another for a 6-5 lead. Williams then hit a jumper for the Colonels’ biggest lead of the night at 8-5.

Baylor answered with a 7-0 run and never looked back. Williams canned a 3-pointer to make it 21-15 before the end of the quarter, but the Lady Bears held the Colonels to just a layup by Cassidy Barrios (8 points) in the first four minutes of the second as they went up 30-17. Baylor headed into the break with a 39-21 advantage.

Another six-point quarter by Nicholls allowed the visitors to push their lead to 38. In the fourth, Nicholls was outscored 20-16 to make the final.

UP NEXT

Another Big 12 opponent is on tap as the Colonels head to Iowa State on Thursday, Dec. 21. Tipoff is Ames is scheduled for 1 p.m. Links to follow the game will be available on geauxcolonels.com.