NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will play in its first tournament of the season as the Colonels take part in the inaugural Teresa Phillips Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Tennessee State at the Gentry Center.
 
Nicholls (1-1) will take on Youngstown State (4-0) on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Sunday with a 12 p.m. matchup against Norfolk State (0-4). Both games will be broadcast on KNSU 91.5 FM.
 
The Colonels head into the classic with an even record after recording their first win of the season with a thrilling 87-84 win over Southern University at New Orleans in their home opener. Junior guard Emani White poured in a career-high 37 points in the win, with none more important than her game-winning jumper with 6.6 seconds remaining. Nicholls ended the game with a 7-0 run to remain undefeated all-time against SUNO.
 
White leads the Colonels in scoring with 23.5 points per game while dishing out seven assists on the year. Jenny Nash is second on the team with 13.5 points per game and Tia Charles is next at 9.0 ppg.
 
As a team, Nicholls is scoring a shade under 70 points per contest, but has struggled from the field, knocking down only 37.7 percent of its shots. The Colonels have made 16 3-pointers in the two games, but already have 50 attempts. At the free throw, Nicholls continues to make teams pay as the squad has cashed in with a sparkling 82.6 percent.
 
Youngstown State looks to remain undefeated on the season as they matchup with Nicholls for the first time in program history. The Penguins have cruised to victories so far this season, outscoring their opposition by an average of 20.5 points per game. Their closest game was in their last outing against Bucknell, where YSU won 69-54.
 
The Penguins' team defense has been impressive in the early going, limiting their opponents to 52 points per game and 34.7 percent from the field. In its 19-point win over Kent State, YSU held the Golden Flashes to just 25 percent shooting in the second half.
 
Youngstown State is led by its preseason first-team honoree, forward Heidi Schlegel, who comes in averaging a double-double with 14 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. The Penguins have a total of four players averaging double figures in scoring – Indiya Benjamin (12.8 ppg), Nikki Arbanas (11.0) and Latisha Walker (10.5).
 
The Colonels' second opponent, Norfolk State, will hope to leave Nashville with its first win of the season. The Spartans take on host Tennessee State Saturday before their Sunday matchup with the Colonels.
 
While NSU is winless, the Spartans have had a few close calls. After losing an 11-point decision at Virginia Tech which saw the Hokies knock down 12 3-pointers, Norfolk fell in overtime, 74-65, at Radford.
 
The Spartans head into Saturday's game averaging 56.8 points, led by guard Rae Corbo's 18.5 points per contest.
 
Following this weekend's action, Nicholls will make a trip to the Crescent City to take on Tulane on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tipoff at Devlin Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m.