THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will host Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Stopher Gym before hitting the road for five of their next six contests.
 
Nicholls (1-0) had little trouble in its opener Friday night against a shorthanded SUNO team as they cruised to a 98-65 victory. The Colonels, led by a career-high 17 points from Hope Pawlowski, had seven players reach double figures in scoring in the win, including four freshmen who made their debut at Stopher.
 
While the veterans of Pawlowski, Marina Lilly and Jovana Mandic all had solid outings, the story of the game was the play of the Colonel newcomers, highlighted by a total of six freshmen. Airi Hamilton and Sammi Deakin-Sharpe led the way for head coach DoBee Plaisance's youngsters, scoring 15 points each, while Karrington Brown had 11 points and Cassidy Barrios chipped in with 10.
 
Defensively, the Colonels swiped 23 steals against the Lady Knights, headed by six each from Pawlowski and Barrios. Last season, Nicholls ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA with 11.4 steals per contest.
 
Prairie View (1-0) heads to Thibodaux after defeating Howard Payne last Friday as well, 86-46. The Lady Panther defense stifled the opposition, holding HPU to 26 percent shooting and just 2 of 18 from 3-point range. On offense, Tori Carter was 9 of 13 from the field for 20 points and Larissa Scott added 19.
 
The Colonels and Lady Panthers are tied at 3-3 in the all-time series, with Prairie View taking the last meeting, 56-51, at Stopher Gym in 2007.
 
The game will be broadcast on KNSU 91.5 FM, with live stats and a premium video stream available at geauxcolonels.com.