THIBODAUX, La.  – Redshirt senior Hope Pawlowski scored 15 of her career-high 24 points after the break and the Nicholls State University women's basketball team shot a scorching 63 percent in the second half to defeat HBU, 76-57, Wednesday night at Stopher Gym.
 
The win evened Nicholls' (7-12) Southland Conference record to 4-4 and gave head coach DoBee Plaisance her 99th coaching victory as head coach of the Colonels. Plaisance will go for No. 100 on Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on ESPN3.
 
Pawlowski finished 11 of 16 from the field and was instrumental in helping erase a 31-30 deficit at the break. The game was close for most of the third before Nicholls closed out the period on a 7-0 run, and the spurt continued into the fourth as Pawlowski drained a 3-pointer to give Nicholls a 61-50 lead.
 
The Colonels were up by eight with 5:30 to go before the defense put the clamps on HBU (4-14, 2-6 SLC) by not allowing any points over the next five minutes. Nicholls went up by as much as 21 before the Huskies scored in the final minute to make the final.
 
Nicholls shot 53 percent the field and enjoyed a rebounding advantage for only the second time this season with a plus-10 margin. The Colonels scored 34 points in the paint and turned 15 HBU turnovers into 21 points.
 
Cassidy Barrios turned in another solid performance as she posted 16 points and tied Tia Charles for a game-high seven rebounds. Charles hit three triples in the win for nine points and tacked on five steals, and Taylor Morrison added 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers. Emani White also scored nine and had two of the Colonels' 13 steals.
 
HBU was led by 21 points from Heidi Byrd. The Huskies finished 41 percent from the field and hit six 3-pointers.
 
The Colonels had trouble slowing Byrd down in the first half as she scored 14 points. Her 3 at the end of the first made the score 16-13 Colonels, and HBU used another buzzer-beater, this one from Sophie Taylor (11 points), to take a one-point lead into the intermission.
 
Nicholls will hit the road for its next three games, starting Saturday with a matchup against the Islanders on ESPN3. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
 
For the latest news on Colonel women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_WBB.