Box Score and Play-by-Play

THIBODAUX -  The Nicholls State University women's basketball team (5-10) overcame an 16-point second half deficit to tie the game late, but it wasn't enough to get past Northwestern State (7-8) as the Demons held on for a 70-67 victory on Wednesday night in Stopher Gym.

Offensively, Nicholls was led by a trio of double digit scorers as junior Sumar Leslie totaled 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, senior Ricshanda Bickham added 16 points and senior forward Cassie Hearon chipped in 11 while going 5-for-7 from the field.

On the defensive end, the Colonels were sparked by sophomore forward Alisha Allen who tied a school single game record with five blocks (a mark shared by three former Colonels) while narrowly missing a double-double with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Demons started hot, shooting .515 (17-for-33) from the floor in the first half and outrebounding the Colonels 26-16.  Northwestern State grabbed seven offensive boards that led to 12 second chance points, and the Demons connected on 7-of-16 (.438) three point attempts in the opening frame. 

Meanwhile, Nicholls struggled shooting just 12-for-35 (.343) from the floor, including a 3-for-16 (.188) mark from three point range, en route to a 44-30 halftime deficit.

Northwestern State would push that lead to 16, their biggest advantage of the night, as a Jessica MacPhail layup made it 54-38 with 13:12 left in the ballgame.  However, Nicholls stormed back into the game by putting together a 17-7 run over the next six minutes.

Allen capped the run by hitting one of two foul shots to make it 61-55 with 7:59 remaining.  The six-point lead was the smallest for the Demons since a five-point lead at the 7:42 mark of the first half.

After both teams traded layups on their next possessions, the Demons went up by eight on a layup that made it 65-65 with 6:31 left.  Nicholls answered with an 8-0 run to tie things up.  Leslie's third three pointer of the night knotted the score at 65-65 with 3:22 left.

Northwestern State responded by hitting a pair of foul shots with 2:03 left to reclaim the lead, but the Colonels answered on the ensuing posession as junior forward Jasmine Hoskins grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in off a put back to make it 67-67 with 2:03.

However, the Demons took advantage of a pair of offensive rebounds on the next trip up the floor before laying it in in traffic on the third shot attempt of the possession.  The second chance basket made it 69-67 with 47 seconds remaining.

After being called for a charge on their next possession, the Colonels were forced to foul, and Northwestern State made it 70-67 by hitting one of two free throws with 19 seconds remaining. 

A three-pointer by KK Babin with nine seconds left missed, but the rebound went off a Demon defender and out of bounds, giving Nicholls one last chance.  Unfortunately, for the Colonels, Bickham's three point attempt rimmed out and the Demons grabbed the rebound to end the game.

The Colonels will return to action on Saturday when Nicholls plays host to Sam Houston State.  Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym.