DENTON, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will take its talent on the road to face the University of North Texas at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in Denton.
 
The Colonels opened the 2014-15 season with a 92-65, exhibition victory over the University of Mobile on Wednesday night in Stopher Gym, but face a tough Mean Green opponent away from home.
 
North Texas (1-0) is coming off of an 84-62 win over the University of Arkansas-Monticello on Friday, and will look to spoil the regular-season opener for Nicholls on Monday.
 
Last season against the Mean Green the Colonels got 17 points from T.J. Carpenter off of the bench, but North Texas held Nicholls to just 12 points in the final 6:53 while connecting on 39 free throws on the night to defeat the Colonels 92-78. Over the last five minutes, UNT outscored the Nicholls 22-9 to pull away for good, making five shots from the field and converting 12 free throws to put the game out of reach. The game was much closer than the final score indicated, as the two teams played to 10 ties and 11 lead changes throughout the contest.
 
The Colonels own the all-time record 9-8 against North Texas heading into Monday's game.
 
In their one contest this season, Nicholls was led offensively by sophomore guard Richie Lewis, who earned a team-high eight assists and seven steals, while adding 13 points against Mobile. Sam McBeath paced the Colonels with 15 points in just 18 minutes, while Denzel Flemings had 12 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Luka Kamber had 14 points off the bench and Adam Ward contributed two blocks in his first action as a Colonel.
 
Jeremy Combs leads the offensive attack for the Mean Green, scoring 17 points and adding nine rebounds against Arkansas-Monticello on Friday. Jordan Williams paced the squad with nine assists and added 12 points in the win. Colin Voss finished with 11 points and nine rebounds against the Boll Weevils.
 
For Nicholls, rebounds and free throw shooting will be the key to success. Last season North Texas outrebounded the Colonels 44-26, resulting in a 16-8 second-chance-point advantage. The Mean Green finished the game shooting 39-44 from the free throw line, while the Colonels shot just 14-25. Nicholls must not only come out more aggressive this time around, but also improve its free throw shooting percentage in order to take advantage of opportunities from the charity strike.
 
Nicholls will take on the University of North Texas Monday before flying to Los Angeles for a battle with UCLA at 10 p.m. central time on Thursday, Nov. 20.
 
Monday's contest will be broadcast live on KQKI 95.3 FM.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.