PULLMAN, Wash. – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team dropped an 89-72 decision to Washington State University Sunday at Beasley Coliseum.
Junior
Danny Garrick dropped a team-high 18 points, raining down five of his six treys in the second half. Graduate transfer
Gavin Peppers followed with 16 points, marking his third straight double-figure scoring performance; the Central Michigan transfer is averaging 16.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season. Senior
Daniel Regis chipped in nine points and a team-high seven boards.
The Cougars (1-0) were spearheaded by Robert Franks - the 2017-18 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year contributed a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds. CJ Elleby neared a double-double with 12 points and eight helpers. Arinze Chidom finished with 10 points.
A jumper from junior
Elvis Harvey handed the Colonels (1-2) an 11-10 edge at the 16:38 mark, the last time the Red and Gray would hold a lead. WSU took advantage of four consecutive Nicholls misses to go ahead 16-11. The Cougars' advantage ballooned to 13 later in the period when Franks converted back-to-back layups to spark a 6-0 run.
The Colonels were limited to 31 percent (10-32) from the field in the first half, including 26 percent (5-19) from beyond the arc.
Garrick nailed three long-range attempts in a four-minute span in the second half, his final one putting Nicholls within seven at 55-48 with 13:26 to play. WSU responded with a 10-3 run that Franks again started with a 3-pointer of his own.
Garrick hit two treys in the final three minutes of the game, but the Cougars lead had already grown to 22 at 4:12, leaving the Colonels with little hope of a comeback.
Nicholls will remain in Pullman and make the 10-mile drive to Moscow, Idaho, Tuesday to play the University of Idaho. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT/7 p.m. PT.
Get your season or single-game tickets now by calling
985-448-4790 or visiting
nichollstickets.com. For the latest news on Nicholls men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter
@Nicholls_MBB.
