THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team opens up its 2014-15 campaign with a tough non-conference matchup at Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 14. The game tips off at 11 a.m. at Bud Walton Arena and will air on national television on SEC Network Plus.
In addition to the televised broadcast, a streaming video feed will be available on WatchESPN, and the game will be aired locally on the radio on KNSU 91.5 FM.
The Colonels enter the season picked to finish tied for fourth and in sixth in the Southland's preseason polls after going 17-14 last season with 11 wins in conference. Nicholls brings back 10 letterwinners with four starters and added two transfers and two freshmen.
Head coach
DoBee Plaisance, who is in her seventh season at the helm, led the Colonels to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history. Nicholls also had a first in terms of individual accolades as guard
Emani White became the first Colonel in program history to earn first-team All-Southland.
White leads a quintet of returning starters after finishing first in the Southland in scoring (19.6 ppg) and steals (2.1 spg) last season. White enters her junior season needing only 125 points to reach 1,000 for her career, which would make her only the 12th Colonel to reach 1,000 points. White's 608 points last season broke the program's all-time single-season scoring mark by nearly 100 points.
Also returning in the backcourt is senior guard
Jenny Nash, who displayed her versatility last season by averaging 10.7 points, a team-high 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals, which ranked fifth in the Southland. Nash and White led Nicholls' 3-point assault as both finished with 68 made 3-balls.
The other three probable starters for the Colonels are sophomore guard
Taylor Morrison, sophomore center
Marina Lilly and senior post player
JonMarie Guillory. Morrison started 21 games last season and made 29 3-pointers, averaging 5.8 points per game. Lilly started 26 games and averaged 6.9 points as a freshman while Guillory was a key reserve off the bench, tallying 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Arkansas will be under new leadership after a 19-11 season in 2013-14. The Razorbacks, who posted a 13-1 non-conference record last season, are coached by long-time college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes. Dykes will have just nine players on his roster to work with, led by Jessica Jackson who averaged 16.2 points and 6.0 rebounds last season as a freshman. Jackson was recognized by the SEC by being named first-team preseason all-conference.
The Colonels and Razorbacks have only met once previously, with Arkansas winning 75-40 in 2005 in Hot Springs, Ark.
Nicholls is 12-28 all-time in season openers and 2-4 under Coach Plaisance, while Arkansas is 18-0 all-time in home openers. All four of the Colonels' losses under Plaisance have come on the road against strong opponents, with both victories coming at home against SUNO, which the Colonels host next Tuesday in their home opener.
