THIBODAUX, La. – After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team climbed back to a one-possession game with just under two minutes remaining, but Central Arkansas closed out the contest on a 12-3 run to escape with a 94-83 victory at Stopher Gym.
 
Playing live on ESPN3 in the United States, and the primary ESPN channel in Australia and New Zealand, the Colonels (5-15, 1-5 SLC) fed off the energy of a wild home crowd early on. Nicholls opened things up with a 10-2 run after back-to-back threes from Johnathan Bell and back-to-back dunks by Liam Thomas and Ja'Dante' Frye. The Bears (3-13, 2-4 SLC) quickly responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 10 apiece.
 
With 8:10 remaining in the period, Central Arkansas led, 28-25, but T.J. Carpenter caught fire, nailing four consecutive three-point baskets to send the crowd and his Colonel teammates into a frenzy. An Adam Ward alley-oop dunk at the 4:23 mark gave Nicholls a seven-point advantage, but the Bears answered with six straight points. Schane Rillieux closed out the frame with a running floater that put the Colonels ahead, 47-42, at the break.
 
Central Arkansas came out of the locker room with renewed energy, opening the second half with an 8-2 run to steal the lead. With 13:58 left in the contest, Nicholls held a tight 57-55 advantage, but the Bears put together a 23-7 run that put UCA up by 14. Just when it looked like the Colonels were out of reach, Nicholls ran off a 13-1 run to pull within a basket, but with 1:14 left in the game, Justin Foreman sank a dagger from beyond the arc, followed by a Nicholls turnover. The Colonels were forced to intentionally foul, and Central Arkansas went 5-for-5 at the free throw line down the stretch to hold off Nicholls.
 
The Bears finished the contest with a 36-32 edge on rebounds and a 14-6 advantage on fast-break points. Central Arkansas committed three fewer turnovers than the Colonels and converted their takeaways into a 21-16 edge on points off turnovers. Nicholls shot just 50% (9-of-18) at the free throw line, including seven missed attempts from the charity stripe in the second period.
 
Carpenter led a balanced Colonel offense with 23 points, while adding four assists and a team-high five boards in the loss. Rillieux (14 points), L. Thomas (12 points), Bell (11 points) and Frye (10 points) each scored in double-figures. Rillieux tossed a team-leading seven assists, while both L. Thomas and Ward finished with five rebounds on the night.
 
Derreck Brooks (29 points) and Mathieu Kamba (21 points) paced the Bear offense. Brooks also finished with seven boards to pace the squad. Jordan Howard led the team with four assists, while adding 16 points in the win.
 
The Colonels next face Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. on Monday for the team's annual Stuff Stopher game.
 
For the most up-to-date information on Nicholls basketball, visit geauxcolonels.com.