Final Stats Box Score and Play-by-Play

LAKE CHARLES, La. - Senior forward Anatoly Bose poured in a game-high 26 points to creep ever closer to the 2,000 career point mark, but it wasn't enough for the Nicholls State University men's basketball team (13-12, 7-7 Southland Conference) as the McNeese State Cowboys (18-7, 10-4 Southland Conference) got double-digit scoring performances from three different players to help maintain their grip on first place in the tightest conference race in the country with a 71-51 win over Nicholls on Saturday at Burton Coliseum.

With his school record 47th career 20-point game, Bose increased his career point total to 1,980, leaving him just 20 points shy of becoming the just the third player in Nicholls history to reach the 2,000 career point mark.

Unfortunately, there were few other highlights on the day for Nicholls as the Cowboys led nearly throughout the game.  McNeese got double-digit scoring performances from Diego Kapelan (17 points), Patrick Richard (11 points) and C.J. Collins (10 points).  McNeese pressured the Colonels into 14 turnovers while committing just eight.  The 14 Nicholls turnovers turned into 21 Cowboy points as McNeese cruised to the win.

The Colonels began the weekend in sixth place in the tightest conference race in the country.  Heading into Saturday, the Southland Conference saw ten teams separated by just 3.0 games, no other NCAA Division I conference had as many teams separated by as few games.  With the loss, Nicholls is now tied with Texas-Arlington, Southeastern Louisiana and Texas-San Antonio for the No. 5 seed to the conference tournament.  Fortunatley, for Nicholls, the Colonels currently hold the head-to-head tiebreakers and are in control of the No. 5 seed.

Nicholls remains just 1.0 game behind fourth-place Sam Houston State and 2.0 games behind third-place Northwestern State.

With two games left in the regular season, the Colonels will now return to Nicholls to host in-state rival Northwestern State on Wednesday, March 2 in the 2011 home court finale.  Nicholls will be celebrating Senior Night against the Demons as Bose, Kellan Carter and Kenny Franklin Jr. will be suiting up for the final home court games of their careers.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.