Final Stats Nicholls-SFA Box Score

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – In a game where points were tough to come by, the Colonels hung tough with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks for entire length of the game Wednesday night in Nacogdoches. Holding the Jacks to just four points over the course of nearly eight minutes at the end of the game allowed the Colonels to tie the game late and force overtime, where a last second 3-pointer by Dantrell Thomas just rimmed out with .8 seconds left, as two SFA free throws on a subsequent foul closed out the game 62-58.

It was the first overtime game of the season for Nicholls, as the Colonels played in two overtime contests in the 2011-12 season, splitting both of those games.

Led by Shane Rillieux's career-high 17 points, he anchored three Nicholls (7-16, 3-8 SLC) players in double figures, followed by Dantrell Thomas' 16 and Sam McBeath's 13.

Down ten with less than eight minutes remaining in the game, the Colonels held SFA (13-10, 7-3) to only two points over the next four minutes to pull to within four of the Lumberjacks 47-43 in the waning minutes of the contest. The Colonels continued to clamp down on the SFA offense and tied the game at 49-49 with less than a minute remaining, before a Nicholls foul sent SFA's Jereal Scott to the line where his two made free throws put the Jacks up two points with less than 20 seconds left.

But an up-and-over layup by  Lewis tied the game at 51 to send the game into overtime.

In the extra session no team gave an inch, and whenever one attacked the other was able to counter. But as the Jacks were able to do for most of the game, they scored four of their 21 points off of Nicholls turnovers in the game in the overtime period, and got some very clutch free throw shooting late, making seven of their eight attempts in overtime to seal the win.

There were only 49 points scored between both teams in the first half, as the Colonels and Jacks combined for just 16 made shots in the period.

Known for working the entire length of the shot clock, the Jacks tried to frustrate the Colonel offense with a slow-tempo attack, but the Colonels kept pace and went into the half down 26-23.

Each team hit four 3-pointers in the half, but the Jacks got to the line ten times, making six to Nicholls' four. The Jacks also got nine points off of nine Nicholls turnovers in the half.

Nicholls held leads of 5-0, 8-7 and 14-10 before SFA scored 16 points to close out the half, as Rillieux led the Colonels with ten points on 3-of-4 shooting in the period. The Colonels refused to let the size of the Jacks dominate the paint early, as Nicholls only gave up six points in the lane.

Shooting 52-percent to end the night, the Colonels hit 19 shots from the field and drilled seven 3-pointers on the evening to SFA's 18 and five, but the Jacks were 21-of-29 at the line over the course of the night, while the Colonels finished just 13-of-21 from the charity stripe.

The Colonels only gave up seven second chance points to SFA on the night, but the Jacks began forcing shots in the lane finishing with a 20-10 advantage on points in the lane. Nicholls finished just one rebound shy of tying the Jacks on the glass 28-27, and got forced into 19 total turnovers to SFA's ten.

The Colonels return home to face the Lamar Cardinals Saturday with tip off slated for 1 p.m. in Thibodaux. The game will be televised live locally on WHNO-TV and online at ESPN3.com.