Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. - After a back-and-forth beginning, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team claimed the lead at the 14:18 mark of the first half and never looked back, cruising to a 68-59 victory over visiting McNeese State on Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gym. The win brought an end to the Colonels' four-game skid and punched their ticket to the Southland Conference tournament for a school-record-extending sixth consecutive time.

Sophomore guard T.J. Carpenter paced Nicholls (11-12, 8-6 SLC) with 19 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Carpenter also registered four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

With the previous four meetings between Nicholls and McNeese having come down to the final shot or been decided in overtime, it appeared that Saturday's matchup would provide more of the same, with four ties and four lead changes in the opening six minutes.

However, Nicholls broke out on a 17-5 run, with Carpenter accounting for 10 points during that decisive stretch. The Colonels enjoyed a 35-27 halftime advantage and held as large as a 14-point lead in the second half. McNeese (8-18, 6-8 SLC) narrowed the deficit to 43-39 on a Ledrick Eackles jumper with 11:46 to play before the Colonels took away all doubt with a 12-2 run, highlighted by a pair of hoops from sophomore guard Amin Torres, who scored nine points of the bench.

Nicholls was able to claim the win despite a quiet night from senior guard Dantrell Thomas, who was limited to six points. Thomas, who leads Nicholls in scoring average, was held without a bucket until the 5:30 mark of the second half.

Senior guard Jeremy Smith picked up the slack with 13 points and six rebounds, while freshman guard Luke Doyle contributed eight points and three steals off the pine.

McNeese, which came into the game on pace to tie a school record for three-pointers, was held to a 3-of-19 clip from downtown. Nicholls held the Pokes to 36.9% shooting overall

Eackles led the way for the Cowboys with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Desharick Guidry recorded eight points and 11 rebounds in the losing cause.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Colonels remain in the hunt for a first-round bye in the league tournament. They'll host Abilene Christian (11-17, 2-9 SLC) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Colonels are 8-1 at home this season.