THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team will look to bounce back from its Southland Conference-opening loss and keep its perfect home record intact as the Colonels host Abilene Christian at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Deb. 21 in Stopher Gymnasium.
 
GAME INFO
Nicholls (3-7, 0-1 SLC) vs. Abilene Christian (8-1, 1-0 SLC)
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019
TIPOFF: 1 p.m. central
LOCATION: Thibodaux, Louisiana (Stopher Gymnasium)
LIVE STATS: SIDEARM Stats
WATCH: YouTube
 
The Colonels (3-7, 0-1 SLC) fell in a tough 55-49 loss Wednesday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. But in the defeat, Loan-Anh Johnson had a career night with 14 points on 5 of 9 from the field, while adding six rebounds and two steals. It was her fifth double-figuring scoring effort of the season after she tallied at least 10 in four consecutive games to close out November.
 
As a team, Nicholls is averaging 60.7 points per game and surrenders 69.6. The biggest discrepancies for the Red and Gray this season have been field goal percentage and rebounding. The team has been outshot, .437-.364, and has a minus 9.7 rebounding margin. Nicholls has had the advantage in those categories three times this season - resulting in all three victories.  
 
Adrian Mann (11.3) and Airi Hamilton (10.9) continue to pace the Colonel offense. Mann came off the bench against TAMCC and scored 10 points in just 14 minutes. Hamilton had eight points Wednesday and has scored in double figures six times this season.
 
Abilene Christian won its league opener, taking down New Orleans at home last Wednesday, 76-62. The Wildcats trailed only once in the first quarter before cruising to the 14-point victory. Four players scored in double figures, led by 17 points from Breanna Wright. 
 
ACU is outscoring its opposition by an astounding 32 points per game, aided by four lopsided wins against non-Division I schools. But the Wildcats have some impressive nonconference wins as well, taking down Tulsa out of the American Athletic Conference, and Wright State, which won 27 games last year.
 
Wright (14.9 ppg) and Dominique Golightly (13.2) lead four Wildcats averaging double figures. Golightly was instrumental in the win over Tulsa with 22 points on 9 of 12 from the field. 
 
ACU leads the all-time series, 4-2. The Wildcats won the lone meeting last season, 76-66, in Abilene.