March 6, 2010
Final Stats
THIBODAUX - Junior guard/forward Anatoly Bose led all scorers with 22 points and was one of four Colonels to score in double digits as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (11-18, 7-9 Southland Conference) pulled away from the Lamar University Cardinals (14-18, 5-11 Southland) to clinch their second consecutive Southland Conference Tournament bid with a 73-61 win in the regular season finale on Saturday in Stopher Gym.
The win clinched the eighth and final seed at the league tournament and a date with regular season champion and No. 1 seed Sam Houston State on Wednesday at the Merrell Center in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas. The Colonels, who qualified for the league tournament last season, clinched back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since qualifying for the league tournament three consecutive seasons from 1998-99 through 2000-01.
Sophomore guard/forward Fred Hunter (17 points), sophomore guard Chris Iles (12 points) and junior guard Justin Ayers (12 points) joined Bose in giving Nicholls four double-digit performances to outpace Lamar down the stretch. Ayers, turned in his third ten-plus point outing in his last four games.
The Colonels found themselves in a dogfight early on as the Cardinals, losers of six straight heading into the day, were in need of a win to keep their own postseason hopes alive. In a back-and-forth first half that saw five ties and six lead changes, the Cards took a one point lead into the intermission with a 23-22 halftime lead.
Fortunately, for Nicholls, the Colonels stormed back in the second half. Nicholls shot an impressive 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half and forced 14 Lamar turnovers to keep the Cards at bay.
The Colonels also took full advantage of the charity stripe, going to the line 27 times in the second half and sinking 20 attempts.
The Colonels will now look to pick up where they left off in Katy last season where Nicholls advanced to the semifinals. Eighth-seeded Nicholls will take on No. 1 seed Sam Houston State on Wednesday.
Tickets for the 2010 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament will go on sale at the Nicholls State University ticket office in Barker Hall on Monday morning.
