THIBODAUX, La. – Sam Houston State University scored the opening basket and never looked back, earning a 62-39 victory over the Nicholls State University men's basketball team on Tuesday night in Stopher Gym.
The Colonels (4-11, 1-4 SLC) shot just 15 percent from the floor and 11.1 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, falling behind by as many as 27 points. The Bearkats (14-4, 6-0 SLC) used runs of 8-0, 5-0, 6-0, 6-0 and 8-0 to grab a 39-12 lead at the break.
Sam Houston increased its advantage to 33 early in the second half, but Nicholls fought back, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from three-point range, to win the period 27-23.
Despite a valiant effort in the second half, the Colonels finished with fewer points in the paint (24-16), points off turnovers (20-10), second chance points (14-6) and bench points (34-12) overall. The Bearkats also won the battle of the boards (35-28) and finished with fewer turnovers than Nicholls.
There wasn't a specific statistical category that doomed the Colonels, but rather a methodical effort from Sam Houston, controlling the game in machine-like fashion throughout. The Bearkats were disciplined on offense, with no unforced turnovers, and stifling on defense, holding Nicholls to its lowest point total since Dec. 1, 2012 when the team faced No. 13 Michigan State.
T.J. Carpenter and Ja'Dante Frye led the Colonels offensively with 10 points apiece.
Liam Thomas paced the squad with five rebounds and
Luka Kamber tossed two assists to lead the team.
Travis Julien tied a career-high with three blocks in the loss.
Dakarai Henderson and Aurimas Majauskas each scored 12 points to lead the Bearkats on the offensive end. Jabari Peters grabbed seven boards and Kaheem Ransom dished out a team-high three assists.
Nicholls will travel to Conway for a 4 p.m. Saturday battle with Central Arkansas before taking on Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in Natchitoches. 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.
