Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – Dantrell Thomas scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed seven boards, earning a key steal and assist on a Jeremy Smith layup with 17 seconds remaining in the second half to give the Nicholls men's basketball a three-point lead which the team would not relinquish to defeat the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 64-61 Saturday evening in Stopher Gym.

After playing another intensely close game two nights earlier, the Colonels (5-6, 2-0 SLC) remain undefeated at home and improve to 4-0 in Stopher Gym, snapping a three-game losing skid to the Lions. Nicholls is 2-0 to open league play for the first time since the 2005-06 season, as Southeastern falls to 5-8 and 0-2 in the Southland Conference.

After just three ties and two lead changes in the first half, the two teams combined for five and eight in the second, respectively, as the Colonels held the Lions without a field goal for the last 5:23 of the game to hold on for the win.

Thomas scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, as the senior guard earned his third 20-point game of the season on Saturday, making a career-high nine free throws on the day. In crunch time, Thomas scored seven points in the final five minutes, including going 5-for-5 at the free throw line during that stretch, hitting the final two with less than five seconds left to push the Nicholls lead to three to put the pressure on SLU with only a chance to tie the game in desperation.

The Colonels had three players earn double-digits on the night, as T.J. Carpenter scored 13 points with two 3-pointers, while Jeremy Smith scored his season average of 12 on 5-of-8 shooting.

Going into the second half leading 28-24, the Colonels opened the final 20 minutes with a Thomas layup to make it 30-24 in the hopes of kick-starting a run to get the lead back to double-digits as they had in the first half. However, the Lions began to rally and shot nearly 60 percent from the field during an 18-12 run that included four 3-pointers to tie the game at 42.

Carpenter retaliated with a three of his own to push the lead back to three, but a JaMichael Hawkins jumper, along with Devonte Upton layup and free throw capped a 5-0 run for SLU that gave the Lions the lead at 47-45 for the first time since early in the first half.

Like a heavyweight boxing match, the two squads traded blows over the next four minutes as a J'Dante Frye 3-pointer sparked the team to go on a 9-4 run to take a 54-51 lead with 4:25 remaining. SLU's last bucket came during this run, as Joshua Fillmore's layup with 5:23 left gave the Lions a short-lived 51-50 advantage as Evans scored a layup after the Frye three to make it 49-48.

With a tightly contested battle nearing its end, the Lions got aggressive and began to attack the Nicholls interior as their hot-shooting from the field had all but cooled off. The Lions were 15-for-17 from the charity stripe in the second half alone, going on a 7-3 run from the free throw line to go back up 58-57 with less than three minutes remaining.

After already scoring a bucket earlier in the half to give the Colonels the lead back, Maciel struck again as he scored with 2:11 left on the clock to put Nicholls back up 59-58 for the team's 14th point in the paint in the second half.

Maciel was called for a foul sending Evans to the line with a chance to give the Lions the lead back, but he missed the back end of a double bonus free throw opportunity, snapping a streak of nine consecutive free throws made up to that point, tying the game at 59-all.

Both teams missed eventual game-changing 3-pointers on consecutive possessions after that break, as Carpenter got fouled on a rebound attempt, sending him to the line for two, but making just one to put the Colonels up 60-59. Fortunately on the very next play, Thomas stripped Upson and pushed the ball up the floor finding Smith under the basket for the team's only fast break points of the night to put the home side up 62-59.

Another foul by Carpenter with seven seconds left put SLU at the line for two more free ones, connecting on both to make it a one-score game again. Nicholls was able to inbound the ball to Thomas, who was immediately fouled and sank both free throws to push the lead back to three points, leaving just a desperation heave for the Lions that went too far sealing the win for Nicholls.

Nicholls forced Southeastern into 14 turnovers and capitalized on them, outscoring the Lions 17-7. After earning 16 points in the paint and holding SLU to just seven in the second half, the Colonels finished the night with 36 total points in the lane to the Lions' 21. The team finished a point away from finishing even in bench points, as Sam McBeath scored seven points in the game before fouling out.

Upson scored 16 points to lead the Lions on 6-of-7 shooting, while Evans had three of the Lions' six 3-pointers on the day.