Final Stats Dillard-Nicholls Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. – After struggling against the Texas Longhorns this past Tuesday, the Nicholls men's basketball team earned a big win heading into the showdown with No. 5 North Carolina on Monday by defeating the Dillard Bleu Devils 92-48 Friday night in Stopher Gym.

Trevon Lewis led all scorers against a depleted Dillard roster, scoring 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, with five rebounds and three assists. Lewis was one of six Colonels to score in double-figures, followed by Chris Talkington who finished with 15 points and Jeremy Smith who earned the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 11 rebounds, five coming on the offensive end.

Nicholls (4-7) held Dillard (0-8) to just 35-percent shooting from the floor, while the Colonels hit 32 shots on the night for a 54-percent clip and hit nine 3-pointers.

Just like they did to Loyola the previous week, the team dominated with size and impeccable shooting, dominating the Bleu Devils in every category outscoring Dillard in points in the paint (42-6), points off turnovers (28-18) second-chance points (12-2) fast break points (10-2) and bench points (36-17). For the first time this year the Colonels outrebounded an opponent, pulling down 34 boards to Dillard's 24, with ten coming on the offensive side.

Nicholls roared out to a 26-7 advantage after nearly ten minutes of play in the first half. The Colonels shot a fierce 62-percent in the first period and made 18 of their 32 shots in the first 20 minutes of play. The team was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe during that time, and finished the night making a 19 as a group.

Dillard turned the ball over 12 times during that period, allowing the Colonels to go into the break with a 49-17 lead. Much was the same in the second half as the Colonels led by as many as 49 points during the second period ensuring the victory.

The matchup between the Colonels and Tar Heels on Monday will be televised on ESPNU beginning at 6 p.m.