Final Stats THIBODAUX  – With the help of 23-point performances from Alisha Allen and Sumar Leslie, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team defeated UT-Arlington, 78-59, to win its Southland Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gym.

Nicholls improves to 8-6 on the year and 1-0 in Southland play after snapping a 15-game losing streak in the series against UTA (2-10, 0-1). The win is also the first time that the Colonels opened up conference play with a victory since joining the league.

Allen recorded her second double-double of the season with a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with her 23 points. The junior from Garland, Texas finished the day a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc, including a half-court shot at the buzzer to give Nicholls a 33-29 lead going into the break.

Leslie matched her season-high of 23 points and dished out four assists in the win. KK Babin added 13 points for the Colonels, while Holly Martin came off the bench for eight points.

In the game, the Mavericks struck first with a field goal, but Leslie drained a 3-pointer to give Nicholls a 3-2 lead. Nicholls threatened to push its lead to double-digits for the first 10 minutes, and right at the halfway mark, Portia Washington sank one from long range to make the count 22-12. However, over the next four minutes, UTA stormed back with an 11-2 run, capped off on a block which led to an easy layup.

Following a jumper by Babin, the Mavericks knotted it at 26-all on a 3-ball from Sabreena DeNure. On UTA's next possession, the Mavs grabbed the lead on a layup from Chauntandra Williams, who lead the team with 15 points. The Colonels answered with back-to-back buckets, and leading 30-29 right before the intermission, Babin found Allen, who then heaved a shot from midcourt, sinking the 47-footer as the buzzer went off.

The Colonels used that momentum in the second half, racing out to a 40-31 lead after another 3-pointer from Allen. UTA answered with the game's next four points, and looked to be on its way to cutting the deficit to three before Babin raced down the court and blocked a fastbreak layup.

Nicholls maintained a slim advantage over the next 10 minutes, as the teams traded baskets until Leslie came up with a steal and a layup to make the score 64-53 with 4:20 to go. The Colonels continued to push the tempo, building its lead to 16 with only two minutes to play before going on to capture its first win against the Mavericks in over 10 years.

Both squads struggled from the field, shooting at a 36 percent clip; however, Nicholls made seven 3-pointers versus only two from UTA. The Colonels connected on 13-of-14 from the line and took advantage of 20 UTA turnovers to score 19 points. UTA held the edge on the boards, 48-47, led by Bianca Sauls with 11.

The Colonels will return to action when they hit the road for their next two outings, starting on Jan. 11 against Northwestern State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.