LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team held their own against one of the premier programs in the country but could not claw back from a 31-point first-half deficit, falling 107-74 against a talented UCLA squad on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
 
The Colonels (0-2) fell behind early after a lackluster effort through the first ten minutes, but performed admirably for the remainder of the contest. Nicholls kept things close through the first five minutes of the ballgame, trailing the Bruins (3-0) by just four points. Over the next eight minutes the table turned as UCLA went on a dominant 22-2 run that featured three baskets from beyond the arc and two authoritative alley-oop dunks, pushing the score to 38-12.
 
After a spirited timeout speech from Heath Coach J.P. Piper, Nicholls came out with more confidence and a renewed energy. Over the final six and a half minutes, the Colonels scored 17 points while the Bruins scored 22. Through the first half, UCLA shot 63.6 percent, while Nicholls connected on just 39.4 percent.
 
The second half statistics were much improved for the Colonels as they virtually mirrored the Bruins' statistical line. Nicholls shot 45.9 percent from the floor, including 46.7 percent from the three-point line, and connected on 57.1 percent of its free throws. UCLA shot 48.6 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc and 57.1 percent from the charity strike. In the second half the Bruins outscored the Colonels by just two points, 47-45.
 
A major discrepancy in free throw attempts and free throw percentage plagued Nicholls for a second straight game. UCLA connected on 20-29 free throws while the Colonels hit just 5-12. Nicholls was also outrebounded 49-33. The Bruins dominated the battle for points in the paint, finishing with 40, while the Colonels earned just 26.
 
Nicholls finished ahead of UCLA in second chance points (15-13), bench points (29-15) and also finished with two more steals than the Bruins.
 
Amin Torres led the Colonels offensively, scoring 18 points off the bench, including 4-7 three-pointers, all in the second half. T.J. Carpenter paced the squad in rebounds for the second straight game, finishing with six on the night, and added 12 points. Richie Lewis earned a team-high four assists and four steals, while contributing 14 points. Liam Thomas produced six points, five rebounds and a block in the loss.
 
Bryce Alford, son of UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford, controlled the ballgame all night long. Alford shot 8-14 from the floor and 6-11 from three, posting 28 points while dishing out 13 assists in an impressive double-double effort. Norman Powell and Tony Parker earned 23 and 20 points respectively. Kevon Looney grabbed 14 rebounds to pace the squad.
 
"We responded in the second half and we were more competitive in the second half," Piper said. "Some of that's because the game was out of reach but some of that's because I think we grew up a little bit and improved in our effort. I thought on both ends of the floor we looked better in spots. We've got a lot of young guys who've never been in this atmosphere and played against this level of talent. There are still things we have to clean up, but I thought we responded well."
 
Nicholls will look to build off of its strong second-half performance as the team heads Winston-Salem, North Carolina to battle Wake Forest at 6 p.m. central time on Monday, Nov. 24.
 
Thursday's contest will be broadcast live on KQKI 95.3 FM and can also be viewed on ESPN3.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.