CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Ja'Dante' Frye scored 23 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and the Nicholls State University men's basketball team put together a furious comeback, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held on for a 76-71 win at the American Bank Center on Saturday night.
 
The Colonels (5-13, 1-3 SLC) jumped out to a quick start, taking a 16-7 lead after T.J. Carpenter drilled three shots from deep. The Islanders (13-3, 4-0 SLC) punched back hard with a 19-0 run over the next eight minutes. With four seconds remaining in the first period, Frye stole a pass and finished with an acrobatic layup to beat the buzzer. TAMUCC took a 41-24 advantage into the break.
 
Nicholls owned the second half, outscoring Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 47-35. The Colonels shot 58.6% from the field, 50% from three-point range and totaled more assists and than the Islanders over the final 20 minutes.
 
Nicholls was hot offensively in the second frame, but it was the Colonels' defensive presence that brought them within reach. Nicholls held TAMUCC to just 35 points on 30% shooting in the second half, while totaling more rebounds and more blocks. The Colonels held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to its lowest scoring output in Southland Conference play this year.
 
Fouls kept the Islanders in the game, and when it was all said and done, TAMUCC took 30 free throws, compared to just 16 for Nicholls. Mental miscues also hurt the Colonels, who committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 21 points for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
In addition to his career-high in scoring, Frye finished with four boards, two assists and a steal. In arguably his best performance of the season, Liam Thomas registered a career-high 17 points, while adding eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Carpenter and Schane Rillieux each contributed a team-high four assists on the night. Rillieux also added three steals to pace the squad.
 
Rashawn Thomas led the Islanders with 31 points and 13 boards. Hameed Ali totaled nine assists in the TAMUCC victory.
 
The Colonels next face Sam Houston at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in Huntsville, before returning home to host Central Arkansas, live on ESPN.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.