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KATY, Texas – Junior
Cassidy Barrios recorded her 16th double-double of the season, but it was her shot-altering play before the buzzer that sent the Nicholls State University women's basketball team into the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history, as the Colonels hung on for a 61-59 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
Nicholls (17-13) never trailed in the final period against the No. 5 Islanders (19-12), but the game was tied at 52 with 3:44 to go. Barrios broke the tie with a layup and then added two free throws for a four-point lead.
A late bucket by Islander Emma Young made it a one-point game before Colonel senior
Marina Lilly, who had nine points, seven rebounds, and three blocks, hit one free throw with 11 seconds remaining. In the final seconds, Kre'Ana Henry misfired from the baseline, and it was rebounded by Dae Dae Evens, who tried to put the ball back up for the tie before time expired, but Barrios stuffed the attempt as the final horn sounded.
Barrios, who was named Southland Conference Player of the Year, scored eight of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. She shot 6 of 16 from the field for the game and had 14 points in the first half as Nicholls led 36-32 at the break.
Tykeria Williams also scored in double figures with 11 points.
"I just decided we weren't going to lose this game," said Barrios, who was also named to the Southland All-Defensive team. "It was a hard-fought team win, a total team effort and we just pulled through."
The Colonels were able to hang on to victory despite being outrebounded by a 55-38 margin. Corpus Christi had 25 offensive rebounds yet managed only 14 free throw attempts. Nicholls made up for its rebounding as they converted 20 Islanders turnovers into 30 points.
"The more disruptive we are on defense, that can really creative a whole lot of offense for us," said Nicholls coach
DoBee Plaisance. "We're in our element when we are forcing turnovers and converting them. Our defense really motivates us."
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jumped out to an early 14-4 lead yet Nicholls closed out the first quarter with a run that brought them within 18-14 following the opening 10 minutes of play.
Held to just one basket in the first quarter, Barrios found her stride in the second. After Lilly's layup gave the Colonels a 23-22 lead, Barrios knocked down a trey, shot a pair of free throws and added another jumper that helped Nicholls take a 30-22 advantage with 3:49 before intermission.
The Colonels took their biggest lead of the day at 45-36 with 3:33 in the third but the Islanders stormed back with a 10-1 run. Brittany Mbamalu, who had a team-high 18 points for the Islanders, canned a 3-pointer before the end of the quarter that tied the game at 46.
Before the final minutes, Barrios gave Nicholls a 50-46 lead right out the gate in the fourth. Williams found for her for a bucket and a
Tia Charles steal on the ensuing possession led to another layup for the Raceland native. The Islanders would tie the score at 52 on an Emma Young layup before could never regain the lead.
Nicholls got some big minutes from its bench as three starters got into early foul trouble. Freshmen
Kinzie Heineman had eight points, and two 3-pointers, and
Bryanna Washington added four points and a steal.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will square off against regular-season champion Lamar at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Nicholls lost 76-61 to the Cardinals on Jan. 24, the only meeting between the two.
