DENTON, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team led midway through the first half, but could not overcome unforced miscues and an off shooting night, falling 71-57 against the University of North Texas on Monday at The Super Pit.
 
The Colonels (0-1) led 12-9 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half, but poor shooting combined with a myriad of free throws for the Mean Green (2-0) was too much to overcome. Nicholls shot just 22.6 percent from the field and 0-13 from beyond the arc in the first period, resulting in a 31-21 advantage for North Texas at halftime.
 
The Mean Green lead hovered around 10 points for the majority of the second half, but ballooned to a 13-point advantage with 12 minutes remaining in the contest. The Colonels would not go quietly, chipping away at the lead to keep the game within reach. With four minutes remaining, Ja'Dante' Frye nailed a jumper to pull Nicholls within seven. North Texas responded, pushing their lead back to double-digits before finishing on an 8-3 run to close out the ballgame.
 
Heading into the matchup, the Colonels knew that rebounding and free throw shooting would be the keys to victory. The Mean Green finished the contest with a 56-34 rebounding advantage, and made 34-of-44 free throw attempts, outscoring the Nicholls 34-10 at the charity strike.
 
The Colonels won many of the other major statistical battles, finishing with more steals, more blocks, more assists and fewer turnovers than North Texas. Nicholls also shot significantly better in the second period than they had in the first, going 5-of-12 from three-point-land and shooting 43.8 percent from the field.
 
Frye led the Colonels offensively with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Liam Thomas added 10 points while shooting 5-of-8 from the floor. T.J. Carpenter led the squad in both rebounds (seven) and assists (three), while adding seven points.
 
Jordan Williams paced the Mean Green in all three major categories, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Williams also connected on 11-of-12 free throw attempts. Muhammed Ahmed contributed six points for North Texas while pulling down 10 boards, and T.J. Taylor posted 14 points and seven rebounds on the night.
 
Nicholls will look to correct its mistakes and accentuate its positives moving forward, although the competition will not get any easier. The Colonels fly to Las Angeles, California for a contest against UCLA at 10 p.m. central time on Thursday, before flying to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to face Wake Forest on Monday.
 
Thursday's contest will be broadcast live on KQKI 95.3 FM and can also be viewed on the Pac-12 Network.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.