Game Notes

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -  After picking up the first loss of the Southland Conference season, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (7-6, 1-1 Southland Conference) will try to bounce back from their first loss of the conference season when the Colonels head to Sam Houston State (8-7, 1-1 Southland Conference) to take on the defending conference regular season and tournament champion Bearkats in the Southland Conference Television Network's Game of the Week.

The Colonels, who opened their first Southland Conference road trip of the 2010-11 season with a loss at Northwestern State on Wednesday night, will face a tough test in their quest to get back on the winning track on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon's meeting between the Colonels and Bearkats will be the 45th all-time meeting between the two schools, and the first meeting since the opening round of the 2010 Southland Conference Tournament.  Anatoly Bose scored 40 points in his last outing against Sam Houston State, a personal record for a non-overtime game.  Unfortunately, for the Colonels, the Bearkats held on for a 62-57 win.

The Bearkats, who rolled through the Southland Conference in 2009-10 en route to the NCAA Tournament, own impressive non-conference wins over Colorado State, North Texas and Florida International.  Sam Houston will also be looking to bounce back after picking up their first loss in league play against Texas-Arlington on Wednesday.

The contest features two of the league's preseason favorites and the conference's two top scorers.  The Colonels are led by Bose whose 23.5 point/game average tops the conference and  ranks sixth in the country heading into Saturday. 

Bose, will be looking to extend his school record number of 20-point games to 40 on Saturday.  Bose has scored 20 or more points in 30 of 43 games dating back to the start of the 2009-10 season.  The Sydney, Australia native has recorded 20 or more points in ten of the first 13 games of this season.

Bose is backed up by junior guard/forward Fred Hunter's 15.8 point/game average, the fourth best mark in the league.  The Denton, Texas native has been one of the most efficient point scorers in the country this year.  Heading into Saturday's tilt with the Bearkats, Hunter is ranked 37th in the nation with a .558 shooting percentage (82-for-147), the second best mark in the conference among players with more than 100 attempts.

Meanwhile, the Bearkats are led by forward Gilberto Clavell whose 19.3 point/game average is second in the league.  The senior forward also boasts a .523 shooting percentage, putting him in the top 70 in the nation in that category.

On the defensive end, the Colonels continue to be led by one of the most aggressive defenses in the country.  Nicholls began the week ranked first in the nation in turnover margin with a +7.3 mark.  The Colonels also boast a 9.9 steal/game average that ranked tenth in the nation entering the week.

Tipoff between the Colonels and Bearkats is set for 2 p.m. in Huntsville, Texas.  The game will be broadcast on the Southland Conference Television Network and will be streamed live on SLC NOW via www.southland.org.

The game can be heard in the New Orleans-Houma-Thibodaux area on the Colonel Sports Radio Network, including KLRZ 100.3 FM and KLEB 1600 AM.

Following the contest with the Bearkats, the Colonels will return to Nicholls to open their longest homestand of the season.  The Colonels will be at home for the rest of the month of January, playing host to Central Arkansas (Jan. 19), Southeastern Louisiana (Jan. 22), McNeese State (Jan. 26) and Lamar (Jan. 29).