Feb. 20, 2010
Final Stats
THIBODAUX - Freshman guard, and Thibodaux native, Bryson Triggs sank the game-winning three as time expired on Saturday, snapping the Nicholls State University men's basketball team's (8-17, 4-8 Southland Conference) five-game losing skid with a 66-63 win over the Texas State Bobcats (12-14, 6-6 Southland).
The Colonels battled the Bobcats through six tie scores and eight lead changes throughout the day on Saturday, but, despite out-shooting the Bobcats from the field (45.1 percent to 35.9 percent), Nicholls still found itself down by one as Texas State took a 61-60 lead with 1:18 remaining.
The Colonels appeared to be cruising midway through the second half, taking an 11-point lead on a three-pointer by junior point guard Kenny Franklin Jr. Franklin's three gave Nicholls a 51-40 advantage with 6:44 left and capped a 12-1 Colonel run.
However, the Bobcats refused to go away. Texas State clawed it's way back in and eventually took the lead by outscoring Nicholls 21-9 over the next four minutes to take their 61-60 lead.
Things looked bleak for the Colonels as sophomore guard Fred Hunter was called for a charge and fouled out on the next possession, giving the ball back to Texas State with 1:23 left.
Texas State followed by throwing up three shots on their next trip up the floor. Unfortunately, for Nicholls, the Bobcats grabbed the offensive rebound each time and began using up the shot clock.
Forced to foul, Jeremy Smith was called with 26 seconds left. Ryan White sank both attempts for the Bobcats to put Nicholls down 63-60.
However, the Colonels had one last rally in them. On their next trip up the floor, junior Dominic Friend broke through the Bobcats' swarming defense and found sophomore guard Chris Iles in the near corner. After faking a shot to shake one defender, Iles buried the game-tying three with 14 seconds left.
Texas State, trying to run down the clock and take the last shot waited until four seconds remained before White drove the lane and put it in. Fortunately, for Nicholls, Friend was firmly planted in the paint to draw the charge and force a Texas State turnover.
With under five seconds left, the Colonels put in their best shooters, including the 5-8 Triggs. Nicholls broke the Texas State press on the inbound and pushed up the floor. With Iles drawing a pair of defenders by driving the lane, and the Bobcats watching Colonel leading scorer Anatoly Bose closely, Iles found Triggs trailing the play on the far side wing.
The E.D. White High School product nailed his only field goal of the game as the buzzer sounded to give the Colonels the win.
"In all honesty, Bryson may have been the last person on the floor, at the time, that we would have drawn up to take that shot, just because of his youth and inexperience in that situation," Piper said. "But, we also put him in because we knew he had the ability to make that shot if we needed him to. He was open, Iles found him and that shot was perfect."
The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Colonels, and gives Nicholls its first win since a 63-61 victory over McNeese State on Jan. 27.
The Colonels, who entered the contest 2.0 games behind Lamar and Texas-San Antonio, who (with 5-6 league records) were tied for the eighth and final Southland Conference Tournament spot. With Lamar's loss to Northwestern State (5-7 Southland), the Colonels will hope league leader Sam Houston State can take care of UTSA later tonight to bring Nicholls to within 1.0 game of the Cardinals, Demons and Roadrunners with four games left in the regular season.
Nicholls returns to action on Wednesday when the Colonels conclude a two-game homestand by hosting Central Arkansas. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
