HAMMOND, La. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team battled neck-and-neck with Southeastern La. through the first period and cruised in the second, taking a 75-69 victory on Saturday night at the University Center in Hammond.
 
The Colonels (10-18, 7-11 SLC) held a slim lead over the Lions (9-22, 6-12 SLC) at the break, but turned on the jets for the final 20 minutes of play, pulling away and maintaining a steady advantage for the majority of the half.
 
Nicholls led 35-34 at the start of the second frame, but the team quickly put together a 9-2 run to take an eight-point advantage. With 9:38 remaining in the game, Travis Julien sank a jumper in the paint that pushed the Colonels' lead to 11. Southeastern La. responded with a three-pointer, but JaMarkus Horace hit a skyhook in the lane, followed by a spectacular up-and-under layup from T.J. Carpenter that gave Nicholls a 12-point advantage. Hot shooting by the Lions prevented the Colonels from completely shutting the door, but Nicholls continued to match SLU shot-for-shot. Each time the Lions threatened, the Colonels were ready with a demoralizing rebuttal, and the game was never in doubt over the closing minutes.
 
Nicholls has been either second-to-last or last in the Southland Conference in scoring for nearly the entire 2014-15 season, but the squad has had an extraordinary turnaround over the last four ballgames. The Colonels have now scored more points and shot a higher percentage than their season averages in four straight games heading into the SLC Tournament.
 
Against Southeastern La. the team shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. In the second half alone Nicholls hit 48.5 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent from three-point land. The Colonels finished with more rebounds (38-34), steals (6-5), points in the paint (30-24) and points off turnovers (16-13) than the Lions. The Nicholls' bench played a major role in the win, earning a 29-2 advantage over the SLU reserves.
 
Ja'Dante' Frye led the Colonels offensively with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting and two assists. Sam McBeath earned team-highs in both rebounds (seven) and steals (two), while adding 11 points. Amin Torres contributed 14 points in the win.
 
Devonte Upton was the spearhead of the Southeastern La. squad, grabbing 18 boards and scoring 11 points in the loss. Cedric Jenkins registered a team-leading 24 points and Jimmie Duplessis tossed nine assists to pace the Lions.
 
Nicholls will travel to Katy, Texas for the Southland Conference Tournament, set to begin on Wednesday. The Colonels can enter the postseason as high as the number five seed, contingent on a McNeese State loss to Central Arkansas tomorrow.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.