THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team rolled with the punches on Tuesday night, earning a hard-fought 81-75 victory over the University of Arkansas-Monticello.
 
The Weevils (3-4) gave the Colonels (2-5) all they could handle, leading by as much as nine points before Nicholls stormed back to steal victory and remain undefeated in Stopher Gym.
 
With 11 minutes remaining in the first period, Richard Benedyth sank a three-pointer to give UAM a 23-14 lead, forcing a timeout from Head Coach J.P. Piper. The Colonels came out of the timeout with renewed energy, putting together a 7-0 run to pull within two. At the seven-minute mark, T.J. Carpenter made a layup that gave Nicholls a 28-27 lead. Three minutes later, Benedyth hit a shot from beyond the arc to put the Weevils back in the lead at 35-32. With 17 seconds remaining in the period, Amin Torres drilled a shot from three-point range, but UAM took a 40-39 lead into halftime.
 
The Colonels thundered out of the break with a 10-1 run to recapture the lead, but after Benedyth layup with 11 minutes remaining in the contest, the score was tied 61-61. On the next possession with the shot clock winding down, Richie Lewis was forced to launch a deep three-point shot, and found nothing but net. The shot was a backbreaker for the Weevils, who would trail for the remainder of the game.
 
Nicholls finished ahead 44-30 in points in the paint, 30-18 in bench points, 17-11 in second chance points, 6-2 in fast break points and grabbed a monster 44-27 rebounding advantage. The Colonels shot 48.3 percent from the floor, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc and 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
 
Torres led Nicholls on the offensive end, scoring a career-high 26 points in the victory. Sam McBeath earned his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ja'Dante' Frye finished second in scoring with 19 points and added six rebounds on the night. Lewis finished with two steals to lead the team, while Travis Julien had a team-high two blocks.
 
Benedyth led the UAW offensive attack with 18 points in the loss. D'Audrio Patton paced the squad with four rebounds and Xkeem Jones had a team-leading four assists.
 
The Colonels travel to Ruston for a matchup with Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, before hosting Troy at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Thursday'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.