THIBODAUX, La. – With just one week left in the regular season, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will host its final two games of the year beginning on Thursday night, taking on the Lamar Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym in Thibodaux.
 
With an 8-19 overall record and 7-9 mark in Southland Conference play, the Colonels are currently in sixth place in the league standings heading into the weekend, with a chance to move up to the fourth seed with a bit of help, while holding a one-game lead on Central Arkansas and Saturday's opponent McNeese State who are both 6-10.
 
In order for Nicholls to have a shot at the fourth seed and a first round bye in the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas next week, the Colonels will need to win both games and have Southeastern Louisiana who is currently fifth in the standings lose both. With the season-sweep of Sam Houston State after defeating the Bearkats 56-53 last Thursday, Nicholls owns the tiebreaker against the Huntsville-based institution, so if the two teams finish tied in the standings by the end of play Saturday Nicholls will get the higher seed.
 
Although the Colonels earned a hard-fought win in Huntsville last Thursday, the team squandered a chance to go into this week tied with both Sam and SLU after losing to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 68-64 on Saturday at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Nicholls held the lead at halftime against the Islanders, but defensively gave up 45 points in the second half on 69.2 percent shooting from the floor in the loss, losing for the fourth time this season when holding the lead at the break.
 
Nicholls has continued to fight through a myriad of injuries over the final part of the season, as Shane Rillieux continues to play through a sore ankle, while Jeremy Smith sustained a mild concussion that kept him out of the game last Saturday night. Still, the Colonels got solid play out of staples Fred Hunter and Dantrell Thomas, who combined for 37 points against the Islanders. Hunter scored 25 and now has 30 games of 20 or more points in his career, with Thomas scoring in double figures for the third consecutive game.
 
Although the team usually gets its production from Amin Torres, Linden Smith-Hyde has come on in the last few conference games as he scored a season-high ten points against TAMUCC, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field which included two 3-pointers and went 2-for-2 from the line in 24 minutes of action in a reserve role. The senior has scored seven or more points in five of the last six games, making at least two 3-pointers in three of the last five.
 
One of the toughest years in Cardinal basketball history will come to a close this week, as Lamar enters the game on Thursday losers of its last six with a 3-26 mark and 1-15 record in conference play. Lamar's last win came on Feb. 7 with a 67-63 win over TAMUCC, and since that time has scored more than 70 points in a game just once, needing double overtime to do so but falling 106-99 against UCA at home last week.
 
Nicholls defeated the Cardinals 74-63 on Feb. 19, winning the last two games in the series against the Cardinals and will be looking for its first three-game winning streak over Lamar since winning three games from 2009 to the start of 2011.
 
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
Live Stats: www.geauxcolonels.com