Final Stats Nicholls-NWLA Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. – Completely turning around its season over the last few weeks, the Nicholls men's basketball team had almost done enough to warrant a trip to Katy, Texas for the conference tournament, but needed some help without the services of Dantrell Thomas for the second straight game. The Colonels dropped a tough 92-61 decision to Northwestern State Wednesday night, but in the process still clinched a berth in the 2012 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament with Texas State's 81-65 loss.

Nicholls (10-18, 6-9) got 16 points from Trevon Lewis off the bench to lead the team, followed by Shane Rillieux who finished with ten points.

Without Thomas, who has missed the last two games due to a facial injury, the Colonels struggled from the field shooting only 40-percent in the game, making just eight shots in the first half. The Demons (16-14, 8-7) finished the night hitting 35 shots, and shooting 63-percent from the field, and 61-percent from behind the 3-point line.

The Demons led throughout, putting the Colonels in a deep hole early taking an 11-4 lead after just five minutes of play. Nicholls would rally to make the score 18-15 with a little under ten minutes left in the period, but an 8-0 run by Northwestern State began what would become an almost insurmountable lead as the Demons would roll into an 18-8 scoring drive that put the Colonels down by 20, before a Sam McBeath free throw sent Nicholls into the locker room down 19, 43-24.

Although the Colonels scored 37 points in the second period, the Demons could not stop scoring as Nicholls fell behind by as many as 42 points by the end of the contest.

Nicholls scored 12 points off of second chance opportunities, but that was the only stat where the Colonels were able to outscore the Demons, as Northwestern State scored 42 points in the paint, 20 off of turnovers and 31 off of the bench.

The Demons' William Mosley and Louis Ellis combined for 37 points, as Mosley went 8-for-12 from the field.

Nicholls will return home for the final game of the regular season, hosting rival Southeastern on Senior Day Saturday afternoon with tip off scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym.

Tickets for the Southland Conference Men's Basketball tournament are on sale now by calling the Nicholls ticket office at (985) 448-4790