Final Stats Box Score

HAMMOND, La.  – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team battled back from a 13-point deficit in the first half against Southeastern to even the score in the final minute, but a layup by Nanna Pool with 1.7 seconds lifted SLU to a 68-66 victory Saturday afternoon at University Arena.

After shooting an abysmal  29 percent in the first half, Nicholls (13-11, 8-5) scored 41 points in the second period and grabbed one-point leads twice on 3-pointers around the 10-minute mark. The Colonels made five of their seven 3-pointers after the break, with the last coming in the final minute by Jenny Nash. With Nicholls trailing 66-63, Nash, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer with 46 seconds remaining.

The Colonels stopped Southeastern (7-17, 6-6) initially, but a rebound by Aja Gibson, who also had a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds, kept the possession alive. With the clock winding down, Elizabeth Styles drove to the hoop and found Pool underneath for the game-winning basket. With 1.7 seconds on the clock, Nash was able to get off a decent look from half court, but the ball bounced off the back iron as time expired.

Nash was one of four Colonels to reach double figures in the scoring en route to her fourth double-double of the year. Emani White led Nicholls with 17 points; KK Babin added 14 points and four assists and Jasmine Scott scored 12 points off the bench.

Nicholls finished at just 36 percent from the field, but the Colonels were able to corral in 22 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points. Nine of the offense boards came in the first half as the Colonels were ice cold, making only 11 of 37 from the field.

The Colonels made two threes in the opening stanza, both coming in the first minutes of the game. White gave Nicholls its first points of the game on a 3-ball, and Nash put the Colonels up 6-3 with a bucket from downtown.

Neither team had much going offensively in the first half until the Lady Lions used a 12-2 run to go up 29-16 with 3:24 until the break. The Colonels outscored SLU the rest of the way to trail 33-25 at the half.

An early 10-2 run by Nicholls swung the momentum, but it wasn't until midway through the half that Nicholls would grab the lead again. Nash made one from deep to give Nicholls a 45-44 edge, but Symone Miller answered with her own 3-ball before White came down and drained a 3-pointer.

SLU scored the game's next five points, and did not surrendered the lead until Babin got a friendly bounce on a 3-pointer to even the score at 61 with 2:31 to go. Nicholls only tied it once more, coming on Nash's bucket in the final minute, as the Lady Lions were able to snap a three-game losing streak in the series.

Although Nicholls finished with a 41-39 advantage in rebounding, Pool  was a force on the boards for SLU, grabbing a game-high 17. The teams combined for only 17 free throw attempts, with Nicholls converting on all five.

The Colonels will have Thursday off before starting its final homestand with a Saturday (Feb. 22) matchup against McNeese State at 1 p.m. Saturday's contest will serve as the Colonels' Play 4 Kay Game, with the Colonels wearing pink uniforms to help raise breast cancer awareness.