THIBODAUX, La.  – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to earn a first-round bye in next week's Southland Conference Tournament by sweeping in-state rival McNeese as the Colonels and Cowgirls square off on Senior Day Saturday at Stopher Gym.

Game time between Nicholls (18-10, 10-7) and McNeese (16-12, 11-6) is scheduled for 2 p.m.  The matchup can be listened to live on KNSU 91.5 FM, with a video stream available on Colonels All-Access.

Before tipoff, Nicholls will honor its lone senior - four-year starter Alisha Allen. The Garland, Texas native, who is sixth in scoring in conference with 15.0 points per game, is second on the Colonels' all-time scoring list with 1,545 career points, fourth in rebounds (687) and is the all-time leader in blocked shots (105). Allen has also played in the most games of any player in program history (116), including 108 starts, and is ranked 15th in steals with 124.

Allen's final game in Stopher has significant postseason implications as the Colonels are guaranteed a bye with a victory over McNeese, finishing no worse than No. 4. In addition, if Lamar loses Saturday at Southeastern, it will result in a three-way tie between the Lady Cardinals, Nicholls and McNeese – with Nicholls receiving the No. 3 seed due to a tiebreaker. If McNeese wins, Nicholls will claim the No. 5 seed, playing on Wednesday against No. 8 Northwestern State.

After struggling on offense over the last three games, the Colonels had an impressive showing Thursday night against the SLC's top-rated defense, pouring in their second-highest point total of the season in the 84-77 win against Lamar. Nicholls connected on 11 3-pointers in the victory, led by sophomore Jenny Nash with six. Nash led four Colonels in double figures, finishing with a career-high 22 points.

McNeese comes to Thibodaux winners of four of its last five, with the only loss coming in overtime against Central Arkansas. The Cowgirls thumped Southeastern Thursday 79-55, led by first-team all-conference Ashlyn Baggett with 19 points. Baggett currently ranks third in the SLC in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game.

Saturday's contest should featuring plenty of scoring as each team ranks in the top three in points per game. McNeese is second in the league at 68 ppg, followed by the Colonels at 65.5. Both teams get a healthy amount of points from behind the arc with McNeese making 182 3-pointers, while Nicholls has 163 on the season.

Although both teams are good at knocking down 3-pointers, the squads also rank first and second in the Southland in 3-point percentage defense. McNeese is limiting the opposition to a conference-best .274 mark, with Nicholls close behind at .280.

In Nicholls' 78-61 victory in Lake Charles in January, all six players that scored for the Colonels reached double figures, led by freshman Emani White with 17 points. Nicholls had one of its best defensive showings of the season against the Cowgirls, holding McNeese to just 29 percent shooting and 5-of-27 from 3-point range.

Nicholls will be looking to finish 9-2 at home this season by earning its first sweep of McNeese since the 2006-07 campaign.  The win at Lake Charles snapped a 10-game drought in the series, but McNeese still has a huge advantage all-time with a 52-13 record.

The Southland Conference Tournament will be held at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, starting on Wednesday, March 13. The Colonels will start play either Wednesday or Thursday, depending out Saturday's outcome against McNeese.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Tipoff: 2 p.m.
Radio: 91.5 FM KNSU (Thibodaux, La.)
Video Stream: Colonels All-Access
Live Stats: www.geauxcolonels.com