SOUTHLAND PHOTO GALLERY
 
KATY, Texas – Sophomore Tia Charles scored 17 points to help lead the Nicholls State University women's basketball team to a late comeback against No. 7 Sam Houston State, but the sixth-seeded Colonels could not get any closer than five points as they were defeated, 73-64, in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
 
Nicholls finishes the season with an overall record of 10-19, while Sam Houston improved to 12-17 and advances to the second round to take on No. 3 Stephen F. Austin.
 
The Colonels shot just 30 percent from the field in the loss, and a 7-for-32 first-quarter led to a 20-10 deficit after the opening period. Nicholls was down by as much as 19 in the second quarter before climbing back in the second half.
 
Charles, along with junior Taylor Morrison (11 points), three second-half comebacks for Nicholls to make it into a game. Down 36-21 at the break, the Colonels opened the third with a 9-0 run, helped by a 3-pointer from Morrison. Nicholls missed all seven 3-point attempts in the first half, but connected on five in the second.
 
Sam Houston countered the first run by answering with five straight points to lead 41-30. But two more 3-balls by Nicholls, one from freshman Cassidy Barrios and one from Charles, put the score at 43-37 at the 4:03 mark in the third. The Bearkats responded once again as a Kamry Orr 3-pointer before the buzzer gave SHSU a 55-42 advantage.
 
Down 59-46 in the fourth, Morrison gave Nicholls hope by hitting a 3 and following it up with a layin to cut it to single digits. A free throw by Hope Pawlowski pulled Nicholls within five at 63-58 with 3:10 remaining, but the Bearkats' Shernise Robertson hit her fifth 3-pointer of the night to deflate the comeback.
 
A first-team All-Southland selection, Robertson finished with a game-high 20 points and keyed the Bearkats' early lead. Her third 3-pointer of the day gave Sam Houston a commanding 18-4 lead in the opening quarter. The Bearkats made 10 of 21 from 3-point range and shot 40 percent from the field.
 
For the Colonels, Marina Lilly chipped in with nine points, while senior LiAnn McCarthy finished with seven points and nine rebounds in her final game. McCarthy wraps up her career ranked 14th on the Colonels' all-time scoring list with 1,029 points.
 
Nicholls out rebounded Sam Houston, 49-42, helped by 11 rebounds from Barrios. The Colonels also had 11 steals, paced by four from Pawlowski. A redshirt junior, Pawlowski finished the season with 83 steals, which was three short of tying the program's single-season mark held by Katherine Plummer (2007-08).
 
Nicholls will lose McCarthy and Jovana Mandic to graduation, but will return four starters. The Colonels are also expected to have first-team All-Southland guard Emani White back, who redshirted this season with an injury.
 
For the latest Colonel women's basketball news, please continue to check geauxcolonels.com and the team can be followed on twitter at @Nicholls_WBB.