Dec. 11, 2007

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - On the night that Nicholls honored senior Adonis Gray for scoring his 1,000th career point at LSU earlier in the season, he rattled off a game high 17-points to lead the Colonels to a 78-65 victory over in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe.

"We played well tonight and executed our offense the way we are supposed to," said head coach J.P. Piper about his team's play. "ULM has a good basketball team, and this was a really good win for us."

Nicholls had four players in double figures with Gray leading the way with 17 followed by junior Ryan Bathie with 16, junior Justin Payne with 13, and sophomore Michael Czepil with 10. Freshman Dominic Friend did not cross the decade mark in win, but did put up eight points, seven rebounds, and five assists in 27 minutes of work.

Louisiana-Monroe had three players in double digits with Jordan Payne leading the way with 17. Lance Brasher, who had a double-double against the Colonels in last season's match up, was held to 13 points and three rebounds, while Jonas Brown rounded out the Warkhawks' 10-plus point scorers with 11 in the defeat.

The win against the Warhawks (4-5) marked the second win over a Sun Belt Conference foe this season for the Colonels (3-7), and it was the first time that Nicholls had beaten ULM since the 2000-01 season. In that game, Nicholls won 79-66 in Stopher Gym.

The score was tied 31 a piece at half time as Nicholls shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor, 50 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range, and 100 percent (3-of-3) from the charity strip. Louisiana-Monroe also was hot at the midway point with a 40 percent (10-of-25) mark from field goal range, 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from downtown, and an 83.3 percent (5-of-6) showing from the free throw line.

However the second half started with a bang as the Colonels (3-7) went on a 27-11 run that lasted from the opening inbound pass to the 9:46 mark of the second stanza. Gray and Payne hooked up on Nicholls' first possession of the game when Payne fed Gray for the ally hoop slam dunk to give the Colonels the lead, which they would never relinquish.

For the game, Nicholls shot 53.1 percent (26-of-49) from the floor, 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three-point range and a season best 85.7 percent (18-of-21) from the free throw line. The Warhawks shot 40 percent (20-of-50) for the game, 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from behind the arc, and 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from the charity stripe.

Nicholls will be back at home, but playing at South Lafourche High School in Galliano, La. against Lipscomb on this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The Colonels lost last year in Nashville, Tenn. to the Bison, 75-55.