Final Stats Box Score and Play-by-Play

THIBODAUX - Three different Colonels scored in double-figures, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (2-2) opened the second half with a 19-9 run and the Colonels withstood a late charge by the Tulane Green Wave (3-2) to pull away for the 66-52 win in Nicholls' home opener on Friday night.  It marks the first time in 19 all-time match ups that the Colonels have claimed a victory over the Wave.

The victory marks the second time this season the Colonels have beaten an in-state rival that Nicholls had never before defeated.  On Nov. 12, Nicholls brought an end to LSU's 82-game home court win streak against Louisiana schools with a 62-53 win over the Tigers in Baton Rouge for the Colonels' first win over LSU in 17 tries.

The Colonels found themselves in a defensive struggle with the Wave early on.  Both offenses struggled in the first half as Tulane opened by shooting 26.1 percent (6-for-23) in the first half.  Meanwhile, Nicholls only managed to go 8-for-24 from the field in the opening half to a shoot 33.3 percent from the floor.

The first half saw six tie scores and two lead changes, and neither side claimed a lead larger than six.  After 20 minutes of play, the score was tied at 20-20 at the half.

However, the Colonels got hot in a hurry at the start of the second.  Nicholls scored the first seven points of the half to go up 27-20.  The Colonels expanded their lead with a 19-9 run over the first nine minutes of the half to go up 39-29 for the largest lead of the game up to that point.

Senior forward Anatoly Bose led the Nicholls attack with 23 points, marking the seventh consecutive game (dating back to last season) that the Colonel swingman has turned in at least 22 points.  Fourteen of Bose's 23 points came in the second half.  The Sydney native also turned in game-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (6).

Nicholls continued to pull away thanks to major contributions from junior guard/forward Fred Hunter, who scored all 15 of his points in the second half while going 7-for-11 from the field on the day, and senior guard Kenny Franklin Jr., who hit three crucial three pointers in the second half en route to nailing 4-of-6 threes on the day for 12 points.

After struggling to get going on the offensive end, Nicholls rebounded by going 17-for-26 from the field in the second half.  The 65.4 percent second half performance made Nicholls 25-for-50 from the field for the day, giving the Colonels their first 50 percent shooting performance of the season.

With the Colonels producing three double digit scorers for the first time this season, Nicholls never trailed in the second half.  However, Tulane would not go quietly.

Tulane tried to rally, pulling the game to within two three times down the stretch.  A jumper in the paint by Kendall Timmons made it 51-49 with 3:02 left

However, the Colonels answered as Bose knocked down 1-of-2 foul shots on the next possession to put Nicholls back up by three.  After a swarming Colonel defense forced a Tulane turnover on the next trip up the floor, Franklin buried his third three of the game to put Nicholls back up by six.

After the Colonels came away with the rebound on a Tulane shot on the next Green Wave posession, Franklin, who also had five assists from the point, again connected from beyond the arc.  The Shreveport native's fourth and final trey of the ball game put Nicholls up 58-49 with 1:47 left and was, effectively, the last nail in the Tulane coffin.

After a missed three-pointer on their next trip up the floor, the Green Wave bagan fouling Nicholls with under a minute left.  The Colonels went to the line six times in the final minute and sank all six attempts to take a 64-49 lead, the largest of the ball game.  Tulane got a three from Kris Richard with 15 seconds remaining before junior Ben Martin found Hunter on a fast break out off the press for a lay in at the buzzer for the 66-52 final.

Nicholls which commited 13 first half turnovers, committed just four in the second while forcing nine by the Wave in the final period.  After forcing 18 Tulane turnovers and committing 17, it marks the fourth consecutive game the Nicholls defense has forced more turnovers than the opposition.

The Colonels will return to action on Monday when Nicholls takes on Southern-New Orleans at Stopher Gym.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.  Nicholls will then bring NCAA Division I basketball to Houma when the Colonels head to the Houma-Terrebone Civic Center to take on Loyola-New Orleans on Dec. 8.


Kenny Franklin, Jr. discusses his second half three pointers to put the game out of reach: