Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – Facing a 15-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team battled back to tie the game with 10 seconds left, but a layup by Mitchell Badillo with 2.9 seconds remaining lifted Incarnate Word to a 69-67 victory over the Colonels on Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gym.

The loss for Nicholls (12-13, 9-7) was only the second at home this season, while Incarnate Word improved its record to 20-6 overall and 8-5 in Southland play.

In his final game at Stopher, Jeremy Smith paced the Colonels with 18 points, and fellow senior Dantrell Thomas added 11. Thomas completed the massive comeback with two free throws with 10 seconds remaining, tying the game at 67-all.

After the Cardinals called a timeout, Badillo found a seem through the Colonel defense and scooped in the eventual game-winning bucket. On the Colonels' final possession, Thomas got off a good look underneath but could not convert as UIW took the first-ever meeting between the schools.

In all, four Colonels scored in double figures as Amin Torres and Sam McBeath scored 10 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench. For the Cardinals, Sam Burmeister led five players in double figures with 18 points while Kyle Hittle and Denzel Livingston added 13 each.

Nicholls could not buy a bucket from long range in the first half, going 0-for-10 from 3-point range to fall behind 33-22 at the half. But the Colonels turned it on the second period, making 5-of-8 from deep. Torres had three of the 3-pointers, and McBeath and Luke Doyle tacked on one each.

Smith played a huge role in the Colonels' second half comeback, scoring 16 of his 18 points. The New Orleans native made his first six shots and finished 7-of-9 from the field.

Down 62-47 with 4:41 remaining, Smith started the late surge with a pair of free throws, and Torres knocked down a 3-ball to trim the deficit to 10. McBeath then made the game interesting by hitting a 3-pointer with 60 seconds left, making the score 66-60.

After a free throw by UWI, Smith pulled up for a jumper in the paint, bringing Nicholls within five. A missed front end by the Cardinals led to another 3-pointer by Torres, putting the score at 67-65 with 18 ticks left.

Nicholls then picked up a huge turnover after the inbounds, and Thomas' free throws tied the game for only the fourth time. Despite the amazing run, the Colonels were unable to claim their 10th conference victory of the season.

The Colonels will finish the regular season on the road, taking on Houston Baptist and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Tipoff against Houston Baptist is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.