KATY, Texas – After a double-overtime win against No. 6 McNeese State to open the Southland Conference Tournament, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team showed they had plenty left in the tank in round two, giving No. 3 Sam Houston all it could handle at the Merrell Center on Thursday night.
 
T.J. Carpenter hit a deep three-pointer from the Southland logo with just 5.9 seconds remaining to give the Colonels (11-23, 6-12 SLC) a 59-58 advantage, but Dakarai Henderson drove the length of the floor and finished with a floater off the glass over the outstretched arms of Carpenter and Liam Thomas to steal the win, 60-59.
 
Carpenter's bucket was his only field goal of the night, as he and Thomas were limited by foul trouble and injuries throughout the contest. The pair combined for 38 points in Wednesday's victory over the Cowboys, but played only nine minutes in the first half on Thursday, and were held scoreless until Thomas made two free throws at the 8:32 mark of the second period.
 
In the absence of their upperclassmen leaders, the Nicholls reserves answered the bell, scoring 22 first-half points. Kyle Caudill played a particularly crucial role, scoring eight of his 10 points in the opening frame while Thomas was in foul trouble.
 
Things started out rough for the Colonels as Thomas picked up two fouls in just over a minute and the Bearkats (18-14, 12-6 SLC) scored the first eight points of the ballgame.
 
Five minutes into the contest, Nicholls had more turnovers (five) than shots attempted (four), but the Colonels continued to battle. Caudill put on a post-play clinic, scoring eight points in eight minutes, before Quinton Thomas joined the party. Trailing 21-14, Thomas nailed a shot from beyond the arc to cut the lead to four. On the other end, Adam Ward annihilated a Sam Houston shot attempt, sending the ball flying into the stands. Seconds later, Thomas rose at the top of the key and drilled another three-ball, sending the Nicholls bench into a frenzy. With five minutes remaining in the period, a Schane Rillieux layup tied the ballgame at 27 apiece.
 
The Bearkats answered with a pair of free throws and an Albert Almanza three-pointer, but the Colonels immediately punched back with a Ja'Dante' Frye shot from beyond the arc to keep things close.
 
Sam Houston took a 38-34 lead into the break.
 
Both teams emerged from the locker room cold, combining to shoot 0-for-12 over the opening minutes of the second period. The Bearkats were particularly sloppy, committing four turnovers in five minutes, after only giving the ball away four times in the entire first half.
 
With just under 14 minutes left in the contest, Henderson drilled a three-pointer, but Johnathan Bell answered with a three on the other end.
 
Nicholls trailed, 48-42, before a pair of Liam Thomas free throws cut the lead to four. Thomas continued to battle on the other end, emphatically rejecting a Jalin Barnes jumper.
 
Down by three with just over seven minutes remaining, Tre O'Neal stole the ball from Jamal Williams, and Liam Thomas found Quinton Thomas for a shot from beyond the arc to tie the ballgame at 48-48.
 
Sam Houston held a 53-50 advantage after a Torry Butler jumper at the 3:44 mark, but seconds later Quinton Thomas intercepted a Williams pass and finished on the other end with a monster dunk to pull within one.
 
On the next Nicholls possession, O'Neal drew a foul and went to the line for a 1-and-1 opportunity. O'Neal, entered the game shooting just 59% from the charity stripe, but sank consecutive clutch free throws to give the Colonels their first lead since the 6:25 mark of the first half.
 
Fighting for a rebound on the opposite end, Liam Thomas was fouled and hit two free throws to give Nicholls its largest lead of the night, 56-53.
 
After a Bearkat timeout, Alamanza connected on a shot from beyond the arc to tie things up at 56 apiece. The Colonels missed a shot on their next possession and Aurimas Majauskus hit a jumper to put Sam Houston ahead, 58-56.
 
Carpenter's three gave Nicholls the lead, but Sam Houston scored the winning basket with just 0.8 seconds remaining.
 
Quinton Thomas led the Colonels with team-highs in points (12) and steals (two), while contributing two rebounds and two assists. Liam Thomas paced the squad with five boards, while scoring four points, dishing out one assist and blocking one shot in just 14 minutes of action. Rillieux tossed four assists, grabbed four rebounds, scored three points and picked up one steal in his final game for Nicholls. Carpenter pulled down five boards and scored three points on the night, while Caudill contributed 10 points, one rebound and one assist. Bell totaled nine points, with two boards, while Frye scored seven points, secured two rebounds and tossed two assists. Ward contributed four points, two boards and an assist, while leading the team with two swats. O'Neal scored four points with two steals and a rebound, while Luka Kamber had three points and two boards.
 
Majauskus (16 points), Butler (10 rebounds) and Alamanza (three assists) led the Bearkats.
 
While the Colonels underperformed for the majority of the season, they showed immense character in the face of insurmountable odds over their last five games. Rather than give up when they faced a win-or-go home scenario with three games remaining in the regular season, Nicholls continued to fight. Rather than surrender to a New Orleans squad that had handed the Colonels an embarrassing 21-point loss, Nicholls stunned the Privateers at home. Rather than call it quits when facing their longest conference road trip of the year at Central Arkansas, the Colonels earned their first road win in 362 days. Rather than shrink under the pressure of a must-win regular-season finale, they downed Southeastern La. to complete their first three-game winning streak in nearly a year. Rather than check it in and concede a lost season, Nicholls won its final three games to reach the Southland Conference Tournament and claim the No. 7 seed. Rather than be satisfied with a record eighth straight postseason appearance, the Colonels dreamed bigger, earning a 94-90 double-overtime win against the higher-seeded Cowboys of McNeese. And rather than submit to a Sam Houston team that won twice as many league games over the regular season, Nicholls pushed the Bearkats to the final second.
 
While the Colonels failed to advance to the semifinals, and Nicholls' magical run is finished, no one can question their effort and no one can question the character it took to rise above nearly impossible odds. The 2015-16 Nicholls State University men's basketball team can hold their heads high, and as the careers of Rillieux, Carpenter and Caudill come to an end, they can take comfort in knowing that when they face adversity in their future careers and endeavors, they will be able to look back on this season and remember that they've faced trials before, and overcome them.