ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The home arena of New Mexico, affectionately known as "The Pit", is regarded as housing one of the loudest and most energetic NCAA basketball atmospheres in the country, and on Wednesday night the Nicholls State University basketball team fed off of that energy, pushing the Lobos to the brink. The Colonels led for the majority of the first half and a portion of the second, but UNM ultimately edged Nicholls, 75-63, over the final minutes.
 
After a New Mexico (4-1) layup to open the ballgame, Nicholls (1-3) responded with an emphatic dunk from Liam Thomas that set the tone for the remainder of the battle. The Colonels matched the Lobos, blow-for-blow, with a complete team effort over the opening minutes. T.J. Carpenter scored a layup and Ja'Dante' Frye hit a jumper, before Luka Kamber drilled a three-pointer and ran the length of the floor confidently holding three fingers to the sky.
 
At the 15-minute mark, Frye took over, scoring seven points in under a minute and stunning the reported 12,383 in attendance. A pair of consecutive New Mexico baskets put the lobos ahead by two and briefly energized the UNM faithful, but 13 second later, Carpenter nailed a three-point silencer and put Nicholls back in the lead, 19-17.
 
With the game tied at 19 apiece, Carpenter and Elijah Brown got tangled up under the basket, and a double technical was assessed. The technical only further ignited the Colonels, who immediately went on an 8-0 run, but the play would have critical implications later in the game.
 
With just over nine minutes remaining in the first period, Johnathan Bell hit back-to-back three-pointers that gave Nicholls its largest advantage, at eight points.
 
New Mexico used a 7-0 run to cut the lead to a point, but Kamber responded with a shot from beyond the arc to push the Colonels' advantage back to four.
 
The Lobos hit a pair of free throws with just over two minutes left in the half to grab their first lead since the 15:19 mark, and put together a 7-2 run to go up, 39-35, at intermission.
 
Nicholls regained the momentum only 12 seconds into the second period, when Carpenter splashed a three-pointer. A Carpenter layup at the 17:14 mark gave Nicholls a 42-41 advantage, and after a tip-in from New Mexico, Kyle Caudill connected on a layup to put the Colonels ahead, 44-43, with 15:54 remaining in the contest.
 
The Lobos recaptured the lead and went up, 50-44, when a foul call completely altered the course of the game. With position in the paint, Carpenter boxed out Xavier Adams in an attempt to corral a loose rebound. Visibly frustrated, Adams grabbed Carpenter by the arm and attempted to throw him to the court. Both Adams and Carpenter were awarded technical fouls on the play, and Carpenter was ejected from the contest.
 
Down their second-leading scorer, the Nicholls squad fought admirably, with a number of Colonels playing additional minutes to fill the void. Bell scored seven points and Frye added nine over the final 14 minutes to help keep Nicholls within reach, but with 3:17 remaining in the ballgame, a jumper gave New Mexico a 15-point advantage.
 
Never surrendering, the Colonels battled to the final buzzer. Frye hit a layup with just under two minutes left, and Quinton Thomas found nothing but net on a shot from beyond the arc as time expired.
 
Frye finished the night with his third-straight 20-point outing, scoring 22 points, totaling seven rebounds and grabbing three steals, all team-highs. Tre O'Neal paced Nicholls with four assists on the night. The unsung hero for Nicholls on Wednesday was Adam Ward, who finished with five boards and two monstrous blocks on Lobo dunk attempts. Bell filled the stat sheet with career-highs in points (13), rebounds (five), and steals (two), while dishing out his first career assist. Carpenter finished with 10 points and three boards in just 14 minutes of action, while Kamber scored six points and added four rebounds in the loss.
 
Brown (18 points), Tim Williams (12 boards) and Cullen Neal (five assists) led the Lobos.
 
The Colonels shot 33% from the floor, 28% from three-point range and 63% at the free throw line. Nicholls held New Mexico to 41% shooting and an abysmal 21% beyond the arc. The Colonels took care of the ball, committing only 12 turnovers, and kept the rebounding battle close, with the Lobos taking a slight 45-29 edge. Nicholls scored more second chance points (9-7) and more bench points (22-20) than New Mexico.
 
The Colonels return to Thibodaux to host Louisiana College at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, before a home matchup with Loyola at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.