THIBODAUX  – Coming off its second straight conference loss, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to right the ship on Saturday as the Colonels host rival Southeastern Louisiana at Stopher Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Nicholls (9-8, 2-2) let a golden opportunity slip by the wayside on Wednesday night against Central Arkansas, building a 17-point lead on the 17th-ranked Sugar Bears before eventually falling in the final minutes. An upset over UCA would have put the Colonels in sole possession of second place in the division behind McNeese St., who is currently undefeated in Southland play.

The Colonels will be facing a motivated Southeastern La. (5-11, 0-3) team, eager to not only pick up its first conference victory, but also earn its first win on the road this season. The Lady Lions head into the contest after a 60-36 loss against McNeese St. on Wednesday and will be aiming for their fourth consecutive victory in Stopher Gym.

In a series dominated by Southeastern (54-13), the squads split the season series last year with each team winning on the road. Nicholls snapped a 32-game conference road losing streak with a 62-50 triumph in Hammond; however, SLU avenged the loss by spoiling Nicholls' Senior Day with a 77-66 victory.

The Lady Lions are led in scoring by Aja Gibson with 11.8 points per game, followed by Kelli Jenkins (9.1) and Brandi Simmons (8.3). As a team, SLU is scoring over 62 points a game and is one of five teams in the league with a positive rebounding margin (+0.5).

Nicholls features the conference's fourth-ranked offense at 66.6 points a game, led by the trio of Sumar Leslie (15.9 ppg), Alisha Allen (14.4) and KK Babin (13.7). Along with leading the Southland, the Colonels offense ranks 17th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (76.7) and 31st in 3-point percentage (35.2).

Saturday's Southland Conference matchup is slated for a 3:30 at Stopher Gym. Live stats and a live video broadcast, courtesy of ThibodauxOnline.com, will be available at tipoff.