HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team will look to continue its strong start in conference play as the Colonels take on Southland preseason favorite Sam Houston State Saturday at 6:15 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum..
The game will air live on 100.3 FM ESPN Radio New Orleans. Links for the broadcast as well as live stats will be available on geauxcolonels.com.
Nicholls (9-6) is off to a 2-0 start in league play after defending its home court with wins over UIW and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Colonels went undefeated at Stopher Gym in nonconference action, winning all four of their games, and the success carried over into the Southland schedule. After taking down UIW in a high-scoring affair, 94-84, the Colonels grinded out a 68-64 win over another top preseason squad in the Islanders.
Offensively, it's been
DeAndre Harris (19.2 ppg) and
Ja'Dante' Frye (15.9) carrying the load for most of the season, but guard
Jahvaughn Powell provided a huge second half against the Islanders with four 3-pointers. Powell finished with 14 points, joining Frye (18 points) and Harris (16) in double figures in the win.
On defense,
Liam Thomas enters the matchup as not only the Southland's top shot blocker with 3.73 per game, but he currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA. Thomas has at least one block in each contest this season and has totaled eight in the two SLC games.
Sam Houston received high praise in the preseason polls by taking the No. 1 spot in the coaches and SID polls. However, the Bearkats (10-6, 1-2 SLC) got off to a slow start in conference by dropping their first two games. They opened up with a 14-point loss to HBU and a two-point loss at Central Arkansas before securing their first win in the SLC with a 74-67 triumph over McNeese Thursday night.
Sam Houston is led on offense by Dakarai Henderson at 10.8 points per game. As a team, Sam Houston is averaging 77.4 points while surrendering 73.2. The Bearkats are ranked eighth in the nation in turnovers forced at 17.8 per game.
Nicholls will continue its road trip next week with games at Northwestern State (Jan. 12) and Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 14). For the latest news on Nicholls men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_MBB.
