THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team held Incarnate Word to 16.4 points below its season average, but could not find enough offense to earn a victory, falling 69-58 on Saturday night in Stopher Gym.
 
The Colonels (5-13, 2-6 SLC) fell behind 11-0 after a Denzel Livingston layup with 12 minutes remaining in the first period. Nicholls used a 6-0 run to cut the lead in half, and chipped away over the next few possessions to pull within three points at the six-minute mark. The Cardinals (12-5, 4-3 SLC) pushed their advantage to seven, but the Colonels responded, and after a Marquis Nelson three-pointer, Incarnate Word held a 30-27 lead at the break.
 
With 14 minutes remaining in the game, Nicholls trailed by just four points, but the Cardinals used an 8-0 run to gain a 12-point advantage. The lead hovered around seven points until the final minutes, when the Colonels were forced to intentionally foul. Despite holding Incarnate Word to its third-lowest point total of the year, Nicholls could not provide enough scoring to come away with a win.
 
The Cardinals shot a blazing 56.3 percent from the floor and 40 percent from beyond the arc, while the Colonels shot just 38.3 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from three-point range. Despite poor shooting, Nicholls finished with more points in the paint (34-26), more second chance points (9-2), more bench points (27-4), more assists (18-10), more rebounds (31-26) more steals (6-5) and more blocks (3-2).
 
Sam McBeath led the Colonels with 21 points and nine rebounds in one of his most productive games of the season. Zach Young dished out a career-high four assists, T.J. Carpenter grabbed two steals and Liam Thomas swatted two shots, all team-highs. Nelson finished with a career-high 10 points and two steals.
 
Kyle Hittle led the offensive attack for Incarnate Word, finishing with 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Jontrell Walker and Mitchell Badillo each tossed four assists for the Cardinals.
 
Nicholls will host New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. on Monday for the team's annual Stuff Stopher contest. The event will be a Red Out game, with the first 200 students receiving spirit sticks. The Nicholls Student Government Association will hand out 40 t-shirts and pom poms for students. Monday's game 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.