THIBODAUX, La. – With fall finals in the books, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team begins its final stretch of nonconference games with a matchup against former Southland member ULM Friday, Dec. 14 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

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Nicholls (4-5) started the season with four losses but reeled off four straight wins before last Tuesday's setback at Tulane. With three nonconference games remaining, the Colonels will be looking to exceed last season's total of five wins before Southland play, which was the most for the team since 2013.
 
For the season, the Colonels are averaging 60.1 points per contest and allowing 67.0. During the four-game winning streak, Nicholls did not allow an opponent to score more than 57 points.
 
Senior Cassidy Barrios has been one of the nation's best scorers this season, ranking 22nd in the NCAA with 20.7 points per game. She has scored at least 20 in all but one game this season, climbing to No. 3 on the Colonels' all-time scoring list. Not only has the Vandebilt Catholic product been lethal offensively, she is 24th in the country with 11.0 rebounds. Her six double-doubles on the season is sixth-best in the NCAA.
 
The next four leader scorers for the Red and Gray are separated by only 0.6 points per game. Junior college transfer Chrystal Ezechukwu has been solid in her first season with the Colonels, ranking second on the team with 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. Destiny Collins is adding 6.0 points, followed by Airi Hamilton (5.9) and freshman Adrian Mann (5.8).
 
ULM is 5-2 on the season, and like the Colonels, lost its first couple games before putting together a winning streak. The Warhawks lost to SMU and Texas Tech to start the year, but have since won five straight. ULM took out Southland members McNeese, Northwestern State, and New Orleans, before holding off Mississippi Valley in its last contest, 72-65. The Devilettes are the only common opponent for the squads this season, with Nicholls defeating MVSU in its last home game, 72-47.
 
ULM has two players averaging double figures - Arsula Clark (13.0 ppg) and Destini Lunsford (11.6). Clark scored a season-high 27 in the win over McNeese, and leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game.
 
The meeting will be the 50th all-time between the programs, with ULM holding a commanding 41-8 advantage.  In the last two matchups, ULM came away with a 69-57 win in Monroe in 2015, but Nicholls avenged the loss the next season with a 73-54 win in Thibodaux. In the victory, Tykeria Williams (14 points) and Cassidy Barrios (12) were two of four Colonels to reach double figures.
 
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Nicholls will make the short trek to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.