LIVE STATS

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will kick off a three-game road swing with a matchup at Sam Houston State Saturday, Jan. 7 at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
 
Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. A link for live stats to follow the game is available on geauxcolonels.com.
 
Behind a near-perfect shooting display from Tia Charles and an outstanding team effort on defense, the Colonels evened their conference record to close out the opening weekend of Southland play with a 74-54 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Nicholls opened its SLC schedule with a loss to UIW, but responded in a big way with its 20-point win on Monday.
 
Charles, who had missed the first half of the season with an injury, scorched the nets in the win over the Islanders by hitting 6 of 7 from 3-point range. She finished with 20 points off the bench, leading five Colonels who reached double figures. Nicholls sank 12 3-pointers in the game, including two from freshman Tykeria Williams (14 points).
 
As good as the Colonels shot from long range, their defending of the Islanders' 3-point shooting was a key factor in the win. Nicholls limited Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 5 of 17 from behind the arc for 29 percent. In the Colonels' nine losses this season, opponents are shooting at a sweltering 46 percent.
 
Sam Houston State heads into the matchup searching for its first win of the season. The Bearkats (0-12, 0-2 SLC) fell Thursday night to McNeese, 79-56, and lost their opener to HBU last week.
 
Scoring has been an issue for Sam Houston, which is averaging just 48.5 points per game on 31 percent shooting. The Bearkats have no players scoring in double figures, but two are averaging around eight points per game – Jasmine McCants (8.1) and Jennifer Oramas (7.8).
 
Saturday's matchup against Nicholls will be Sam Houston's first home game since Nov. 21. The Bearkats have played only two contests at home this season, including its closest outcome of their campaign, a 57-51 loss to Wiley College.
 
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 women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_WBB.