THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University men's basketball program (2-1, 0-0 Southland) took care of business in the team's home debut against NAIA foe Paul Quinn College (1-3, 0-0 RRAC), outpacing the Tigers in a 81-66 victory Wednesday evening at Stopher Gym in Thibodaux, La. With the win under their belt, the Colonels improve to an above .500 record for the first time since midway through second-year HC Austin Claunch's inaugural season when the Red & Gray stood at a 10-9 mark prior to a Jan. 23 contest at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Offensively, Nicholls once again utilized a highly-effective spread attack, closing out the game with a quartet of double-digit performances -- seniors Dexter McClanahan (18), Elvis Harvey Jr. (17) & D'Angelo Hunter (16) along with redshirt junior Andre Jones (14). Notably, Harvey Jr. notched the squad's first double-double of the season, partnering his 17 points with a team-best 10 boards for the night.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- Despite a slow start by the Colonels, which allowed Paul Quinn to ensure a back-and-forth fight throughout the first half, the Red & Gray managed to pull away as the break neared, claiming a double-digit lead before heading into the locker room. From that point on, the Tigers only managed to pull as close as six points (two occasions), hovering a majority of the second period around the 10-14 point deficit range before Nicholls sealed the eventual 15-point victory,
-- For the game, Nicholls finished shooting 41.1 percent (30-of-73) overall, 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) at the charity stripe.
-- Junior G Kevin Johnson contributed another solid showing as a game manager, dishing out a team-high six assists while picking up six rebounds, five points and two steals.
-- For McClanahan, the redshirt senior's squad-best 18 points serves as his second time in three games pacing the Colonels in the category. Previously, the Georgia native racked up an individual season-high 25 points in Nicholls' tight overtime loss at Illinois to kickoff the 2019-20 campaign.
-- From an analytical perspective, the Red & Gray outworked Paul Quinn in a number of key statistical categories, including: offensive rebounds (14-to-8), which led to a 9-to-5 edge in second chance points; overall turnovers (13-to-19), which allowed a 21-to-16 advantage in points off turnovers; and bench points (16-to-10), a notable indicator of a squad's depth.

UP NEXT
After securing the team's second consecutive victory, the Colonels aim to keep the win streak alive as they hit the road yet again, traveling north to battle in-state rival No. 23 LSU on Saturday, Nov. 16, tip scheduled for 3 p.m. in Baton Rouge, La.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Men's Basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_MBB), Instagram (@geauxcolonels) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Athletics).