Final Stats BEAUMONT, Texas – With the game tied with less than 30 seconds remaining, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team got two stops on Lamar's final possession, but Gia Ayers made a putback as time expired giving the Cardinals a 59-57 victory on Tuesday night at the Montagne Center.

With the loss, Nicholls falls to 16-9 on the year and 8-6 in the Southland. The setback also puts an end to the Colonels' four-game winning streak. Lamar improves to 18-7 overall and 10-4 in conference.

Alisha Allen led Nicholls with 19 points, with KK Babin adding 12. Lamar's Kalis Loyd led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Both teams struggled from the field, shooting 33 percent in the game. LU held a 44-40 edge on the boards, including 18 on the offensive glass.

In the first half, Nicholls scored the game's first four points, but Lamar caught fire, going on a 17-0 run. But the Colonels answered with their own run, reeling off 16 straight points to lead 20-17.

The Colonels maintained the lead for the rest of the half, going into the break up 33-30. Nicholls made four buckets from behind the arc in the opening period, getting two each from Babin and Emani White.

The teams slugged it out in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza as the score was tied four times. Lamar finally gained its first lead since its opening run after Loyd knocked down a 3-pointer for a 49-48 advantage.

Jasmine Scott, who scored 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds, gave Nicholls back the lead, connecting on two free throws before getting a putback, making the score 55-53 with less than five minutes to go. Nicholls held the lead until Lamar tied it on a free throw at 57-57. The teams would go scoreless the rest of the way until Ayers beat the horn on the final possession.


Nicholls will have the weekend off before hitting the road to take on Sam Houston on Thursday, Feb. 28. Tipoff in Huntsville, Texas is slated for 5:30 p.m.