THIBODAUX, La. – With five of its first seven Southland Conference games at home, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to continue its impressive play at Stopher Gymnasium as the Colonels host rival McNeese at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
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The Colonels' lone loss in league play came on the road to Stephen F. Austin, which shares first place with Lamar as the only two undefeated teams through the first two weeks of the Southland schedule. Nicholls (9-7, 3-1 SLC) bounced back from the setback with a 23-point win over HBU Saturday.
The victory gave the Colonels a perfect 6-0 record at Stopher this season and extended their home winning streak to 11 games. In the six contests in Thibodaux, Nicholls is averaging 84 points per game and winning by an average of nearly 27 points. The closest contest the Colonels have encountered during the 11-game streak was last season's 63-51 win over the Cowgirls.
McNeese's schedule has been the complete opposite with Wednesday's game in Thibodaux marking its fourth consecutive road trip. The Cowgirls (2-13, 0-4 SLC) have lost five straight and are looking to notch their first win over a Division I opponent this season. Their closest game in SLC play was a 68-66 loss at home against UIW to start the year.
While Cassidy Barrios still leads the Colonels in league games with 17.8 points and 11.3 rebounds, defenses have keyed on her and it's resulted in her averaging 5.3 assists. Redshirt junior Airi Hamilton has been the main beneficiary, more than doubling her scoring output from the regular season. Hamilton, who is shooting an astounding 71.9 percent from the field, averaged 6.2 points in 12 games before Southland play and heads into the McNeese contest at 14.8 ppg in conference.
A total of five Colonels are averaging double figures in conference. In 13.3 minutes off the bench, Chrystal Ezechukwu has contributed 11.5 points. Starting post player Bryanna Washington upped her average to 11.3 ppg after netting a career-high 19 against HBU, and Tykeria Williams is at 11.0.
McNeese has a trio of players scoring at least 10 points a game, led by Callie Maddox at 13.1 ppg. Against New Orleans, she was held without a field goal for just the second time this season, scoring all six points at the free throw line.
As a team, McNeese is scoring 61.1 points per game but allowing 80.4. The Cowgirls have outrebounded their opposition by an average of 3.2.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will head north to take on Central Arkansas Saturday, Jan. 19. Tipoff at the Farris Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
TICKET INFO
Get your season or single-game tickets now by calling 985-448-4790 or visiting nichollstickets.com. For the latest news on Nicholls women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_WBB.
