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THIBODAUX, La. – Aiming for a fifth consecutive berth in the Southland Conference Tournament, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to extend seniors LiAnn McCarthy and Jovana Mandic's seasons as the Colonels take on rival Southeastern Louisiana for Senior Day on Saturday at Stopher Gym.
 
The Colonels (9-18, 7-10 SLC) will tipoff against Southeastern (4-24, 3-14 SLC) at 1 p.m. The Senior Day Ceremony will begin before the game at approximately 12:45 p.m.
 
The official tiebreakers were released earlier by the Southland Conference and the scenario is simple for head coach DoBee Plaisance's squad if they defeat the Lady Lions – they are in. Nicholls would enter the tournament as a 6- or 7-seed, depending on Saturday's results.
 
If Nicholls loses, that is when things become complicated. The tiebreaker scenarios are mostly favorable for the Red and Gray; however, if there's a three-way tie between the Colonels, Lamar (7-11) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-11), Nicholls would be left out of the tournament. Lamar is finished with the regular season while the Islanders play at first-place Abilene Christian.
 
McCarthy will be looking for her second postseason appearance as she missed the last three tournaments due to knee injuries. In 2012, she tied the Southland's postseason record with seven 3-pointers to lead the eighth-seeded Colonels to a 20-point victory over top-seed Central Arkansas.
 
The New Orleans native has had a sensational comeback season as she returned to the court after last playing in the 2012-13 season. McCarthy leads the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game and 15.5 in conference play. In late February, she became the 14th Colonel to reach 1,000 points for their career.
 
Mandic, a center from Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been an intimidating presence for the Colonels inside as she stands at 6-foot-4. In the last game against Central Arkansas, Mandic was 2-for-2 from the field, had two rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist in 12 minutes.
 
The Colonels are looking to avoid being swept by the Lady Lions, who defeated Nicholls 78-68 in Hammond on Feb. 13. Nicholls scored 25 points in the opening quarter, but finished at 34 percent from the field for the game as SLU snapped its seven-game losing streak. The Colonels were led by Tia Charles (19 points), Cassidy Barrios (17 points) and McCarthy (15), while SLU received a huge game from Nanna Pool, who 23 points and 22 rebounds.
 
Depending on Saturday's results, Nicholls will continue its campaign in the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas, with their first game slated for Thursday, March 10, in the Merrell Center. Tickets for the entire tournament can be purchased at the Nicholls Athletics Ticket Office or by calling 985-448-4790 during normal business hours.