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THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team returns home for the first of three straight games at Stopher Gym, hosting defending Southland Conference champion Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 18).
Nicholls (5-11, 2-3 SLC) is coming off a 1-2 road swing, which saw the Colonels open with a victory at Sam Houston State before falling at Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin. The Colonels' last home game was arguably their best outing of the season as they picked up an impressive 74-54 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to kick off the New Year.
The Colonels continue to be one of the nation's best when it comes to steals, ranking third in the NCAA with 13.5 steals per game. Nicholls has three players in the top 75 – led by
Hope Pawlowski and
Tykeria Williams who both rank 17th in the country with 3.19 steals per game.
Cassidy Barrios is also among the leaders with 2.38 per contest.
Nicholls, averaging 64 points a game, is led offensively by Barrios with 14.6 ppg. Barrios has reached double figures in scoring in the last eight contests and has 20 or more points in three games this season. In the last home outing, it was
Tia Charles who led the way with six 3-pointers for a game-high 20 points. Charles, who missed the first few games with an injury, has averaged over 20 minutes off the bench in conference play.
Abilene Christian (10-7, 4-1 SLC) hits the road for just the second time since the start of conference play. The Wildcats opened with a 25-point win at Southeastern Louisiana before playing their next four games at home. After going 17-1 in the Southland last season en route to the regular season championship, ACU matched its loss total after falling to Stephen F. Austin, 70-61, on Jan. 12.
The Wildcats are led by a stellar senior class – reigning Southland Player of the Year Alexis Mason (14.1 ppg), Sydney Shelstead (12.2), Suzzy Dimba (11.9) and Lizzy Dimba (10.2). Mason posted a career game in ACU's last outing, scoring 32 points in the 77-59 win against Lamar.
ACU leads the brief all-time series, 2-1, with both wins coming in Thibodaux. Last season, the Wildcats escaped with a 71-68 victory after Nicholls was unable to hold on to a late six-point lead.
For the latest news on Nicholls women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_WBB.
