Live Stats  |  Video ($)  |  Audio 

THIBODAUX, La. – Aiming for its fifth consecutive trip to the Southland Conference Tournament, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to all but secure its bid to the postseason as the Colonels take on rival McNeese State at Burton Coliseum on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
After ending their three-game drought with a win over New Orleans Wednesday, the Colonels (9-16, 7-8 SLC) can strengthen their position in the standings by knocking off the Cowgirls (18-10, 10-6 SLC) for the second time this season. Nicholls is currently the No. 6 seed and has a two game lead over Sam Houston, which the Colonels defeated this season and is on the outside looking in.
 
The Colonels picked up a solid win over New Orleans in their last outing, fueled by an outstanding defensive effort in the second and third quarters. After both teams scored 20 points in the opening period, the Colonels held UNO to just 19 points over the next two quarters to build a 12-point lead.
 
Senior LiAnn McCarthy was inches away from reaching a milestone in the win as her late 3-point attempt was off the mark, leaving her with 998 career points. McCarthy scored 21 Wednesday night and needs just one field goal to become the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
 
While McCarthy (13.4 ppg) led the team in scoring, the Colonels also received great production from the rest of the starters. Making her third consecutive start, Tia Charles (10.4 ppg) scored 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting, while Cassidy Barrios (11.2 ppg) continued her stellar freshman campaign by adding 13 points, five rebounds and four steals. Taylor Morrison also had solid minutes, scoring nine points with a team-high three assists and Marina Lilly added three points and two blocks.
 
The bench was led by Hope Pawlowski, who finished with nine points and continues to wreak havoc on opposing offenses as she collected four more steals. Pawlowski has been in the top 20 of the nation in steals all season, averaging 2.84 per game. Jovana Mandic also produced off the bench, grabbing five rebounds and blocked a career-high three shots in 15 minutes.
 
After suffering back-to-back losses, the Cowgirls won two in a row - both over Lamar – to secure its spot in the Southland Conference Tournament. McNeese rallied back from a 10-point halftime deficit to knock off the Cardinals, 76-69. Allison Baggett scored 24 points on 24 shots, while Frederica Haywood had 12 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Point guard Jayln Johnson heads the offense at 15.1 points per game, followed by Baggett at 13.8. As a team, McNeese is the league's second-highest scoring team at 71.1 points per game.
 
In the Colonels' previous matchup with the Cowgirls this season, Nicholls stormed back from a 12-point deficit with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. The Colonels pieced together a 22-5 run and went on to claim an 85-81 victory in Thibodaux.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Colonels will hit the road for the final time, taking on Central Arkansas on Wednesday, March 2. Tipoff in Conway is scheduled for 7 p.m.