THIBODAUX, La. – With four teams fighting for the final three spots in the Southland Conference Tournament on Saturday, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team erased any doubt of not making the postseason as the Colonels clinched their fifth consecutive berth with a 70-52 victory on Senior Day at Stopher Gym.
 
Along with extending its postseason streak, the victory also gave Nicholls (10-18, 8-10 SLC) double figures in wins for the fifth straight season. Southeastern Louisiana finished at 4-25 overall and 3-15 in league play.
 
Although the Colonels recognized their two seniors before the game – LiAnn McCarthy and Jovana Mandic – it was three underclassmen who led the charge in the win over the Lady Lions. Sophomore Tia Charles scored a team-high 14 points, while freshman Cassidy Barrios and junior Taylor Morrison finished with 11 points each.
 
Nicholls knocked down 11 3-pointers in the victory, getting three each from Charles and Barrios, and two from Morrison. The Colonels hit 7 of 13 from downtown in the first half, but SLU made five of its own to trail by just 36-33 at the break.
 
Nicholls scored 20 points in the first to lead by five, but SLU cut into the deficit by outscoring the Colonels, 18-16. Nicholls led 25-15 after McCarthy, who had eight points, drained a 3-ball before SLU used a 9-0 run to pull within one. Taylin Underwood, who had a game-high  21 points, gave the Lady Lions a brief lead with a layup at the 2:28 mark, but Marina Lilly scored four points in the final minute to give Nicholls a three-point edge.
 
Charles started the third quarter with a 3-pointer, and the Colonels held the lead for the entire period. Right before the buzzer, Mandic scored inside to give Nicholls a 53-43 advantage. Mandic put together a solid final game at Stopher, finishing seven points on 3 of 4 from the field.
 
The Colonels' lead stayed around 10 points in the final period before Morrison scored eight consecutive points to make the score 68-51 with less than two minutes to go. Hope Pawlowski added two free throws down the stretch to give Nicholls it largest margin of victory in conference play this season.
 
Nicholls will enter the Southland Conference tournament as a No. 6 seed and will play No. 7 Sam Houston State on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The Colonels defeated the Bearkats on the road on Jan. 13, 67-63, in their only matchup of the season.
 
The tournament will be held at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. Tickets are available by calling the Nicholls Athletics Ticket Office at 985-448-4790 during normal business hours.