WAHROONGA, Aus. – Riding the momentum from the previous night's game, the Nicholls men's basketball team closed out their four-game tour of Australia with a 94-81 win over the Sydney All-Stars Friday night at the Knox Grammar School Stadium.
 
The Colonels never trailed in the game against the Spiders, holding a lead for over 38 minutes, leading by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, the largest for the team on the night.
 
Playing in front of a favorable home crowd, Sam McBeath led Nicholls in scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds, as four players scored in double figures for the Colonels including Dantrell Thomas' 17 points, Fred Hunter's 15 and T.J. Carpenter's ten. Sydney's Ben Madgen led all scorers with 34 points, while fresh off his 24-point night yesterday, Anatoly Bose scored 17.
 
Offensively, the Colonels were 39-for-80 for the night for a 49-percent clip from the floor, drilling seven 3-pointers and taking just 16 free throws making nine. Each team turned the ball over 39 times on the evening, but Nicholls was the only team to convert on their chances, outscoring the Spiders 22-8 in points off turnovers. The 50 points in the paint by the Colonels were the most for the team during the trip, and 40 points in bench scoring were also a team high. Of the 39 boards the Colonels grabbed on the night, 16 came on the offensive end which turned into 14 second chance points.
 
After allowing 20 made field goals through the first three quarters, the Colonels held the Spiders to just six made buckets in the final quarter to preserve the win, while Nicholls scored 41 points in the second half.
 
Nicholls' second largest lead of the game came in the second quarter as the team began to find its offensive rhythm, hitting 55-percent of their shots to head into the locker room leading 53-39. The 16-point lead they attained during the quarter came from 3-of-6 from 3-point land, while outscoring Sydney 32-21.
 
The Colonels outscored the Spiders 10-2 over the first four minutes of the contest, including going on an 8-0 run during that span, to get out to a quick lead over Sydney that eventually led to a 21-18 first quarter score. Nicholls led 13-5 after the first five minutes, shooting 41-percent from the floor while forcing seven Spider turnovers.
 
The Colonels will return to Thibodaux on Sunday, beginning preparation for the 2012-13 season.