HAMMOND, La.  –   After a sloppy first half, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team caught fire in the third quarter and outscored Southeastern Louisiana by 14 points as the Colonels defeated the Lady Lions, 76-60, Wednesday night at the University Center.
 
With the win, Nicholls head coach DoBee Plaisance earned her 100th victory as head coach of the Colonel program. Plaisance already became the all-time leader in wins last season, passing Hall of Fame coach Ben Abadie's 89. The victory evened the Colonels' (8-13) conference record to 5-5.
 
The second-half surge was sparked by Tykeria Williams, who scored all of her game-high 17 points after the break. Williams missed just one field goal and was 4-of-4 from behind the arc. Nicholls hit seven from long range following the intermission and finished 10-of-30.  
 
A total of six Colonels reached double figures in scoring as Taylor Morrison had 15 points, Emani White scored 14 and Cassidy Barrios recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tia Charles rounded out the leading scorers with 11 points.
 
The Colonels finished at 45 percent from the field and tallied 18 steals off of 31 Southeastern (4-17, 2-8 SLC) turnovers. The Lady Lions shot 38 percent from the field despite a 7-of-9 effort in the second quarter.
 
The teams combined for 33 turnovers in the first half, with SLU taking a 37-31 lead into the break. The Colonels came out on a mission in the third, however, quickly tying it up with 3-pointers by Charles and White. Williams then drilled two from long range and a Pawlowski steal and layup capped a 15-4 run for a 46-41 Colonel lead midway through the quarter. Nicholls went on to dominate the entire third, outscoring SLU, 25-11.
 
Although SLU cut the deficit to single digits early in the fourth, Williams countered with two more 3-balls and Nicholls led by as much as 20 en route to their third road win of the season.
 
The Colonels dished 16 assists on 28 made baskets, led by five from Barrios. Morrison and Hope Pawlowski led the defense with four steals each.
 
Southeastern was led in scoring by Charliee Dugas with 16 points.
 
The Colonels will head to New Orleans for their next contest, taking on the Privateers Saturday, Feb. 4. Tipoff at Lakefront Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m.