THIBODAUX, La. – After falling short against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their most recent outing, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team will look to right the ship against a challenging Sam Houston State squad at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Stopher Gym.
The Colonels (4-10, 1-3 SLC) will have their hands full against the Bearkats (13-4, 5-0 SLC) who enter Tuesday's contest on an eight-game winning streak and are ranked first in the Southland Conference, undefeated in conference play this season.
Sam Houston owns the all-time series between the programs 28-22, and took an 88-61 victory on Jan. 11 last year. In this most recent matchup, the Colonels entered with four consecutive wines but were upended by the Bearkats, who led by as many as 30 points in the ballgame. Nicholls will look to return the favor and snap Sam Houston's current winning streak on Tuesday night.
The Colonels are averaging 63.3 points per game while surrendering 74.6. Nicholls is shooting 42 percent from the floor, 26.7 percent from three-point range and 61.9 percent at the free throw line this season. In contrast, the Bearkats are averaging 76.6 points per contest and lead the Southland in scoring defense (61.1 points per game), scoring margin (+16.0 points) and field goal percentage defense (.372). Sam Houston also tops the league in rebounding offense (44.1) and rebounding margin (+9.6) for the year.
Keeping the battle of the boards close and limiting second-chance opportunities for the Bearkats will be key for the Colonels to put themselves in position for victory on Tuesday.
Amin Torres leads the offensive attack for Nicholls, averaging 12.8 points per game.
Sam McBeath paces the squad with 6.8 rebounds and
Richie Lewis dishes a team-high 2.5 assists per game.
DeMarcus Gatlin and Jabari Peters spearhead the Bearkat offense, averaging 11.4 and 10.4 points respectively. Kaheem Ransom averages a team-leading 4.4 assists, while Michael Holyfield grabs 8.2 rebounds per contest.
Nicholls will host Sam Houston before making the lengthy drive to Conway for a 4 p.m. Saturday matchup with Central Arkansas. Both games will be broadcast live on KQKI 95.3 FM.
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.
