Final Stats Nicholls-ULL Box Score

LAFAYETTE, La. – Down five heading into the second period, the Nicholls men's basketball team gave up 40 points in the second, including 21 in the first eight minutes, falling to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns 84-57 in the finale of the Beryl Shipley Classic Sunday afternoon.

Nicholls (1-4) kept the game close for most of the first period, but could not contain the ULL (2-3) offense, as the Cajuns shot over 50-percent from the field for the game and 60-percent from behind the three point line. Nicholls struggled from the field shooting just 33-percent from the floor and only hit two 3-pointers in the second period after making six in the first.

Chris Talkington led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Trevon Lewis who finished with 15 in his first start at Nicholls. ULL had four players score in double-figures, led by J.J. Thomas who finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

The Cajuns pounded the Colonels inside to the tune of 28 points in the paint and 11 second-chance points, and scored 19 points off of 15 Nicholls turnovers.

“I told the team in the locker room that the last 20 minutes we had does not define us as a team. We gambled on them needing to make three's to win the game and they did that,” head coach J.P. Piper said. “The team gave us everything they had playing three games in three days and I really believe that we will get better because of this going forward.”

With the score 36-31 to start the second frame, the Colonels were primed to make a comeback, but the Cajuns began the half with a 6-0 run, then went on an 8-2 run to take a commanding 53-38 lead with 13:58 left in the game. During one stretch, the Cajuns held the Colonels to just two points from 11:20 left in the game to 7:36.

ULL began the game with an 8-0 run, but the Colonels got three's from Dantrell Thomas, Talkington and Sam McBeath to get back in the game. The Colonels would tie the game twice in the half, first at 15-15 using a 5-2 run, and again at 17-17, but every time Nicholls knotted the game up, the Cajuns got to the free throw line, or hit a big shot to regain the lead.

Nicholls hit six 3-pointers in the half, including getting a big three by Bryan Hammond as time expired, as the Colonels were better beyond the arc shooting 42-percent, than the 35-percent from the field as a group. The Cajuns keyed in on the Nicholls interior to get points, scoring 16 in the paint, along with getting to the free throw line 12 times, making seven.

ULL led by as many as ten with 2:18 remaining after outscoring the Colonels 16-8, but the team scored eight points in two minutes to keep the game in reach.

The Colonels will now prepare to take on the Auburn Tigers on Friday at 7 p.m. in Alabama.