Tallahassee Fla. – The Nicholls State University basketball team knew they faced a tough challenge against Florida State and its highly touted freshmen class. The Red and Gray held their own through the opening minutes, trading baskets with the Seminoles, but FSU steadily pulled away for a 109-62 victory at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
 
The Colonels (0-1) trailed the Noles (1-0), 13-10, after Ja'Dante' Frye hit a layup in transition, but Florida State answered with a 7-0 run to take a 10-point lead. Frye and Luka Kamber drilled back-to-back threes, sandwiched around a jumper from Xavier Rathan-Mayes, to pull Nicholls within seven, but the Seminoles used a 10-0 run to extend their advantage. Johnathan Bell knocked down a jumper at the 10:22 mark, but Florida State responded again, using a 25-12 run over the remainder of the half to take a 60-32 lead into the break.
 
The Colonel offense showed flashes of brilliance in the first half, but each time Nicholls put together a positive play, the Noles showed off their slew of weapons on the other end. Through the first half, FSU's four freshmen scored as many points as the entire Nicholls squad.
 
"I thought we competed, I just thought they were better," Head Coach J.P. Piper said. "Honestly, just superior athletes and very comfortable playing fast. They seem to enjoy it and thrive on it. Things would snowball, we would make one or two, and then they would string it together and make several in a row."
 
In the opening period, Florida State shot a blazing 61.8 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from three-point range, while the Colonels shot a respectable 40.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc. The Colonels were outrebounded 24-9 in the frame, and committed twice as many turnovers (eight compared to four). The Red and Gray struggled mightily at the free throw line through the opening 20 minutes of play, shooting just 38.5 percent (5-13).
 
The second half was a much different game. Nicholls went cold offensively, but clamped town on the defensive end. While Florida State shot a higher percentage in the second period, the Colonels held the Noles to 11 fewer points, and kept the rebounding battle much closer. Nicholls grabbed 12 boards, while FSU secured 18. The Colonels also forced as many turnovers as they committed in the half, with each team committing nine.
 
Despite improved second-half play from Nicholls, Florida State's lead continued to steadily climb, with the Seminole freshmen leading the way. All totaled, FSU's freshman class of Dwayne Bacon (#14 on ESPN's top 100), Malik Beasley (#28 on ESPN's top 100), Terance Mann (#86 on ESPN's top 100) and Chris Koumadje combined to score 62 points, grab 17 rebounds, dish out four assists and earn four blocks.
 
"In our world, we think we shoot the ball well," Piper said. "You wouldn't know it tonight. You saw a little bit of it early. At our exhibition we shot 60% from the 3-point line and 63% percent from the floor. We shot it really well at home but it's a different caliber team than we played tonight. The game was a little too fast for us. Shots we normally make tonight, especially late weren't close. You have to credit them with the pace of the game for the team we had to deal with."
 
Frye finished with team-highs in both points (13) and boards (four) for Nicholls, while shooting a healthy 67 percent from the floor. Kyle Caudill turned in three assists to lead the team, and added seven points on the afternoon. T.J. Carpenter reached double-figures with 10 points and three rebounds, while Luka Kamber and Liam Thomas finished with nine and eight points respectively.
 
Five Noles finished with double-figure offensive nights. Bacon spearheaded the attack with 23 points and eight rebounds. Rathan-Mayes turned in a double-double, with 11 points and 11 assists, while Mann finished with four steals in the win.
 
"We want to play faster," Piper said. "They're a lot better at it, obviously, than we are but I think it has lot more to do with personnel than scheme. They got better players. In our game the other night we played fast and shot lights out. We were able to play the tempo we wanted to. I didn't want to change who we're going to try and be this year. I knew it wasn't a good idea to try and run with them, but at the same time, if we're going to play faster I didn't want to come in here and slow them down. We're going to have to be who were going to be."
 
Nicholls returns home for a matchup with Mobile at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, before heading to Manoa for a battle with Hawaii at 12:30 a.m. central time on Monday.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.