KATY, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament with a thrilling 94-90 double-overtime victory against McNeese State on Wednesday night at the Merrell Center.
 
The Colonels (11-22, 6-12 SLC) will move on to face No. 3 Sam Houston (17-14, 12-6 SLC) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
 
With only 1:20 remaining in double overtime, Nicholls was locked in a 90-90 tie with the Cowboys (9-20, 7-11 SLC), but Luka Kamber found Ja'Dante' Frye cutting along the baseline and Frye finished with a thunderous dunk to put the Colonels ahead. After a Jamaya Burr missed jumper, Nicholls milked the clock, and with 19 seconds remaining, Quinton Thomas hit a runner from the free throw line to seal the victory.
 
The Colonels led by as many as 15 points on Wednesday, only to have McNeese sneak up and take a two-point lead with 33 seconds remaining in regulation. With only 11 seconds on the clock Frye drew a foul while fighting for a loose rebound and knocked down two clutch free throws to send the game into overtime.
 
Frye wasn't finished. Nicholls trailed, 83-81, in the first overtime period, but with seven seconds left, Frye drew a foul and hit two more high-pressure free throws to keep the Colonels alive.
 
While Frye was the man down the stretch, scoring nine of his 18 points over the final 11 minutes, T.J. Carpenter and Liam Thomas led Nicholls in regulation. Number 22 scored 22 and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out with two minutes left in the first overtime period. Carpenter was relentless defensively and a terror on the offensive end, getting to the rim at will. Thomas continued his dominant play with a 16-point, seven-board outing, while blocking three shots and dishing out three assists.
 
The trio of Frye, Carpenter and Thomas combined for 56 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks, but it was a complete team effort that allowed Nicholls to prevail.
 
Johnathan Bell, Adam Ward, Tre O'Neal, Kamber, Quinton Thomas, Schane Rillieux and Kyle Caudill all had significant contributions and made key plays down the stretch to bring home the victory.
 
With 3:13 remaining in the first period, the Colonels led by just two points, but Nicholls closed out the half on a 15-6 run. After a Shaun Johnson missed three-pointer, Frye secured the rebound and took three dribbles, before nailing a half-court buzzer beater to put the Colonels ahead, 48-37, at the break.
 
Nicholls committed only two turnovers over the first 20 minutes of the game, but gave the ball away three times in the first two minutes of the second period. Despite a sloppy start to the half, the Colonels increased their advantage, and after an old-fashioned three-point play from Ward, Nicholls secured its largest lead at the 13:18 mark.
 
The Colonels went without a field goal over the subsequent eight minutes, missing seven consecutive shots, and allowed the Cowboys back into the ballgame, but a determined Nicholls squad answered the bell each time adversity struck.
 
Jarren Greenwood led McNeese with 23 points, while Burr registered team-highs in boards (seven) and assists (four).
 
Thursday's games and the semifinals will be available on ESPN3, while the championship game will be covered exclusively ESPN2 and WatchESPN.
 
The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The selection show is Sunday, March 13 at 4:30 p.m., CT, on CBS.
 
For tickets call 985.448.4790 or email Tyler Knowles at tyler.knowles@nicholls.edu.
 
For complete information about the tournament, visit Southland.org/katy. 
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls men's basketball.