THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will close out a two-game home stand on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 4 p.m. in Stopper Gym in Thibodaux.

Nicholls is coming off of a 69-62 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday night, improving to 5-12 on the season and 4-3 in the Southland Conference. The win improved the team's record to 3-1 at home in Stopper Gym, as Nicholls is tied for fourth in the league standings with the Bearkats and Southeastern Louisiana with the Colonels just two games away from hitting the halfway mark in league play.
 
Nicholls is 4-3 in its last seven games, and got the win last night over the Islanders by holding off A&M-Corpus Christi late. The Colonels led by as many as 17 points during the second half, holding the Islanders scoreless for seven minutes during the period, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi attacked the Colonels for the rest of the half, going to the foul line 24 times and got close as six points with less than ten minutes remaining.
 
Fortunately, the Colonels got solid play from its upperclassmen as Fred Hunter led all players with 19 points in the game for his fifth consecutive double figure scoring game. Jeremy Smith scored 11 points for his fourth straight game with double-digit points, as he's scored in double figures in six of his last seven. Cantrell Thomas scored 15 points in the game off the bench, all coming in the second half, as he was efficient from the free throw line as he tied his career best with seven made free throws in the second half.
 
Nicholls has been strong defensively, forcing three of its last six opponents into more team turnovers than committing, with three of those teams committing 20 turnovers or greater. In Southland play the Colonels have a +3.3 turnover margin, giving up the ball an average of 13.9 times while opponents have a league-high 17.1 average.
 
Sam Houston State comes to Thibodaux after dropping a 69-65 decision to Southeastern La., falling to 11-8 on the year. After starting the year 1-3, the Bearkats have won 10 of their last 15 games coming into the weekend, but after dropping their last two in conference, Sam Houston has gone from being 4-1 to 4-3.
 
The Bearkats have no player scoring in double figures this season, but are led by Darius Gaston and Demarks Gatlin who are two of eight Sam Houston State players to average anywhere from five to nine points on the season. Their bench is averaging 25.9 points per game this season, with six players regularly seeing playing time in a reserve role.
 
Nicholls has dropped four straight to the Bearkats dating back to 2010, as Sam Houston holds a 27-20 advantage in all-time meetings against the Colonels. The last Nicholls win in the series came in 2009, with the Colonels pulling out a 60-59 win in Huntsville.
 
The radio broadcast of the game will begin with the Colonel Countdown pregame show, beginning 15 minutes prior to the start of the contest.
 
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV: None
Radio: 100.3 FM KLRZ (Larose, La); 1600 KLEB (Golden Meadow, La.)
Broadcast Team: Mike Wagenheim (play-by-play)
Colonels on the Internet: www.klrzfm.com
Internet Stream: Colonels All-Access - http://www.geauxcolonels.com/showcase
Live Stats: www.geauxcolonels.com