Final Stats Nicholls-LSU Box Score

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team fought a veteran-laden LSU team Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge, falling to the Tigers 94-76 in front of 7000 fans in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

Down 70-53 midway through the second period, the Colonels (0-1) used a 14-7 run over the course of five minutes to cut the lead to ten with just under six minutes remaining in the game. That run however would soon be negated as the Tigers (1-0) outscored the Colonels 19-5 to take a 26 point lead, the largest of the game, and spanned just over three minutes.

The run would give the Tigers the momentum, and the crowd support, and coasted to the win. “That's a veteran team we just played, and I have to compliment our guys for just being able to make it a ten point game late in the second,” head coach J. P. Piper said.

Trevon Lewis showed what high hopes the future might hold for the freshman from Houma, as he led the team with 19 points off of the bench on 7-of-8 shooting. Lewis made his first six shots consecutively, in just 26 minutes of action.

The Colonels as a team might prove to be a formidable force on the perimeter, as the squad connected on 13 three pointers in the game as sophomore Chris Talkington finished with a career high 13 points with four three pointers made, followed by Lachlan Prest who hit four to finish with 12 points in his first game as a Colonel.

LSU had seven players score in double-figures and got most of its production from the bench, outscoring the Colonels 37-28. Anthony Hickey, Mr. Kentucky Basketball in 2010-11, finished with 14 points to lead the Tigers, followed by John Issac who exploded off the bench late for LSU scoring 11 of his 13 points in the second half.

The Colonels came out of the gate and began the game with a 6-2 run thanks to baskets from Dantrell Thomas and Shane Rillieux, as the Tigers couldn't find the bottom of the net early as their first four points of the game all came from the free throw line.

The Tigers found a spark off the bench in Johnny O'Bryant, as he scored three quick buckets to give LSU the lead, and was coupled by better play from Hickey who got hot from behind the three-point line, hitting three-straight three pointers in a row. As a whole the Tigers would hit seven three's in the first period and was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line.

The Colonels kept it close with the Tigers as the two teams would tie three times, and held a four point lead at 16-12, but a 10-0 run by LSU would push the Tigers ahead, a lead that would grow to 15 by the end of the period. The Tigers went into the half with a 51-40 first half lead.
LSU's size and speed proved to be a lot for the Colonels to contend with, as the Tigers grabbed 41 boards, 20 coming offensively for 15 second chance points. The Tigers also forced the Colonels into 23 turnovers resulting in 37 LSU points.

“Their size and quickness presented some matchup problems for us, but you're not going to see that kind of team every night come conference play,” Piper said. “We definitely have a lot of things to be encouraged about heading into the rest of the season.”

The Colonels will hit the floor next on Tuesday taking on the Tulane Green Wave at 7 p.m. in Fogleman Arena.