THIBODAUX, La. – With a Southland Conference Tournament berth already clinched, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to secure a first-round bye as the Colonels take on Houston Baptist Thursday at 5 p.m. at Sharp Gym.

The game will broadcast live on KNSU 91.5 FM, with pregame coverage scheduled for 4:45 p.m.

Nicholls (15-12, 10-6) still has a long shot of claiming a share of the Southland regular season title, but will need to win both of its final two games. In addition, the Colonels will need first-place Central Arkansas to lose twice, and Stephen F. Austin and Lamar will have to lose at least one game.

The Colonels are in a fourth-place tie with McNeese, but hold the tiebreaker after sweeping the Cowgirls this season. The top four teams earn a bye into the second round, while the top two receive an additional bye into the semifinals. 

Nicholls will have to avenge an earlier loss to HBU (11-16, 7-9) in order to keep its bye hopes alive. The Huskies came into Thibodaux and handed Nicholls its first home loss of the season. HBU quickly erased a nine-point deficit in the victory, led by 15 second-half points by Shanice Steenholdt. For the Southland leaders, Steenholdt (17.8 ppg) trails only Nicholls' Emani White (19.7 ppg) in scoring and ranks third in rebounding at 9.4 per game.

In the Colonels' 76-64 win over Incarnate Word, White scored 22 of her 29 points in the second half to become Nicholls' record holder for points in a season with 532. Also reaching a milestone on Saturday was senior KK Babin, who had 13 points and seven assists in her program-record 117th career start.

Following Thursday's game, Nicholls will close out the season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday at 12 p.m. Nicholls defeated in Islanders earlier in the season, 67-60.