NACOGDOCHES, Texas – After taking a tough loss to top-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will look to rebound on Saturday night, heading across the state line back into Louisiana to take on the Northwestern State Demons at 3:30 p.m. in Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches.
 
The Colonel Countdown pregame show will begin 15 minutes prior to tip off against the Colonels and Demons on the all-new ESPN 100.3 FM and KLEB 1600 AM locally in Thibodaux and online. Links to live stats provided by Northwestern State will be on the home page at GeauxColonels.com.
 
Nicholls took one of its toughest losses since conference play began on Thursday against the current No. 1 seed in the league in the Lumberjacks, falling to SFA 93-64 at Johnson Coliseum. The loss was the largest margin of defeat for the Colonels in league play so far this year, as the squad had its three-game winning streak snapped, dropping the team to 10-9 on the season and 7-3 in the league.
 
The Colonels have seen their share of struggles on the road this season, as they are just 3-8 in games away from Thibodaux and Stopher Gym, where the team sports a 7-1 mark in the friendly confines. While outscoring opponents by more than six points at home, the road has been a different tale as Nicholls is getting outscored by nearly 16 points.
 
In one of the toughest atmospheres the team has seen since conference play began, the Colonels struggled out of the gate shooting 35 percent in the first half with just six made shots from the field. At that point, the Lumberjacks went on to score 55 points in the opening 20 minutes and would eventually lead by as many as 41 points in the second half. However, Nicholls regrouped and outscored SFA 47-38, but still the Lumberjack attack would prove to be too much.
 
During the team's surprising run through the first half of league play, the quality play of the starters has been one of the big keys leading to its success. Against the Lumberjacks, it took a little longer to get going but the group still got solid play from Jeremy Smith and Dantrell Thomas to lead the way. Smith scored a game-high 18 points with six made shots from the field, as it was the fifth time this season he's led the squad in scoring in a game. The New Orleans native scored 13 of his 15 in the second half, as he's now shooting 57 percent from the field on the season.
 
Dantrell Thomas scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and went 5-for-5 from the free throw line on the night. Thomas and Smith have scored in double figures in each of the last five games, while Thomas has made 16 consecutive free throws since the overtime game against Oral Roberts.
 
One of the more pleasant surprises on the night was the play of Amin Torres, who came off the bench to score a season-high 12 points in just 17 minutes. Torres scored seven in the first period, and finished with 10 in the second on 4-of-9 from the field. He and T.J. Carpenter hit the only two 3-pointers of the game for Nicholls.
 
After struggling to open the conference slate, the Northwestern State Demons have been one of the hottest teams as of late, winning each of their last five games. The Demons are now 10-11 on the season and 6-4 in the league after starting 1-4 and starting to find their way near the top of the conference standings.
 
Northwestern State has one of the most potent scoring offenses in the country, averaging 87.4 points per game. Along those same lines, the Demons also give up a few, allowing 87 to opponents. The Demons have scored 100 points or more five times this season, and during its win streak is averaging over 85.
 
The Demons are led by last year's Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in Jalan West. West is averaging 19.6 points per game this season, and is one of four players scoring double-digits this season. Against league competition, West is scoring a shade over 21 points per game and grabbing over three rebounds.
 
 
 
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
TV: None
Radio: ESPN 100.3 FM, KLEB 1600 AM
Broadcast Team: Mike Wagenheim (play-by-play)
Live Stats: www.NSUDemons.com