KATY, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team shot 54.8 percent from the floor, 60 percent from three-point range and 75 percent at the free throw line, but couldn't overcome 21 turnovers, falling 82-73, against New Orleans in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Wednesday night.
 
The Colonels (10-19, 7-12 SLC) came out sloppy early, committing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the ballgame. The Privateers (11-17, 7-12 SLC) took advantage, grabbing a 14-8 lead at the 13:03 mark after a Kevin Brown layup. Nicholls tightened up their play over the remainder of the frame, committing just two turnovers and heating up offensively. With 9:01 remaining in the period, Luka Kamber drilled a three-pointer to pull the Colonels within a point. On the ensuing possession, Brown answered with a three of his own to push the Privateer advantage back to four. The three-point barrage wasn't over as Amin Torres nailed a shot from beyond the arc and Kamber added another to give Nicholls its first lead since the opening minutes at 23-21. New Orleans continued to fight, forcing three ties, but each time the Colonels punched back, unwilling to surrender their advantage before halftime.
 
Nicholls took a 42-39 advantage into the break, shooting a blazing 60.9 percent from the floor and going 8-of-10 from three-point range. In the first period, Torres finished with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Kamber went 4-for-5 from three-point land in the opening frame.
 
The Colonels were as careless with the ball over the first 10 minutes of the second half as they were in the opening minutes of the contest, committing eight turnovers and quickly ceding their lead to the Privateers. Brown continued to be a thorn in the side of the Nicholls, hitting a three-point basket at the 11:41 mark to give New Orleans a six-point advantage. Kamber answered with his fifth made three-point shot of the game, but Brown sank a rainbow from deep behind the three-point line to keep the Privateer lead at six points. With 6:09 remaining in the contest, Sam McBeath drilled a step-back three to pull the Colonels within one, but Brown again had the answer, nailing a three-pointer on the next possession. Nicholls chipped away at the New Orleans advantage and tied the game after a pair of T.J. Carpenter free throws at the 2:30 mark, but Privateers wouldn't be denied, sinking 10 free throws over the final 1:33 to seal their first ever SLC tournament victory.
 
The Colonels had been either last or second-to-last in the league offensively all season, but elevated their play over their last few contests and stayed hot against New Orleans. Three-point shooting kept Nicholls is the game, but the Privateers turned 21 Colonel turnovers into 24 points en route to the win. Nicholls finished with more rebounds (32-26), bench points (38-24), assists (14-11) and blocks (5-2), but New Orleans dominated points in the paint (45-22), fast break points (13-0), second chance points (12-4) and steals (11-5).
 
Torres led the Colonels offensively with 17 points and three assists. McBeath registered his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing 13 boards and scoring 12 points on the night. Kamber tied career highs in both points (16) and assists (two) while hitting a career-high five three-pointers. Liam Thomas paced the squad in assists (four) and blocks (two), while Travis Julien contributed a team-leading two steals. Carpenter finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Ja'Dante' Frye followed up the best week of his career with nine points and three boards in the loss.
 
Brown was absolutely unstoppable for the Privateers, scoring 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Kevin Hill led the team with 10 rebounds and added 10 points in the victory. Tevin Broyles tossed a team-high five assists and finished with 13 points. Nate Frye registered 14 points, four boards, two assists and two steals.
 
It was a tough loss for Nicholls after entering the postseason on a three-game winning streak and playing its best ball of the season.
 
"We didn't get off to a good start in the first half," Head Coach J.P. Piper said. "The guys that you sitting here with me (McBeath, Carpenter, and Ja'Dante' Frye) kind of led us all year long. Not for a lack of effort, they struggled in the first half. They didn't produce the way they normally do."
 
Piper singled out turnovers and getting beat inside as the two biggest detriments to the Colonels on Wednesday night.

"I thought turnovers killed us, and the points in the paint," Piper said. "All season long we've been the team that wins that battle, and they doubled us in the paint which us uncharacteristic for us."
 
Despite the loss, Piper stressed that the team is already looking ahead to next season.

"I started coaching for next year in the postgame talk just now," Piper said. "We don't have any seniors. I don't want to make any excuses or take anything away from UNO, but we have six guys that are on scholarship that weren't in uniform tonight."
 
Nicholls dealt with numerous injuries this year, forcing a number of players to step up and play more minutes than expected. The Colonels will look to capitalize on that experience as they return seven seniors, five juniors and three sophomores next year. Even though Nicholls was eliminated earlier than the team had hoped, its young squad can take solace in earning the sixth seed in the face of relentless obstacles throughout the season. The Colonels will look to cash in on another year of experience and a new level of team chemistry as they try to reach their eighth-consecutive Southland Conference Tournament in the 2015-16 season.