LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team scored the first 15 points of the game against McNeese and never looked back, as the Colonels cruised to a 78-55 victory Wednesday night in the H&HP Complex.
The win marked the Colonels' fourth in a row and avenged their lone home loss of the season. Nicholls improved to 17-10 overall and 11-4 in the Southland, while McNeese dropped to 6-20 and 4-11.
Senior guard
Cassidy Barrios matched her season high with 27 points to lead four Colonels in double figures. She finished a rebound shy of a double-double, but
Chrystal Ezechukwu, who made her second straight start, tallied one with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Tykeria Williams added 11 points off the bench while
Airi Hamilton filled the stat sheet with 15 points, four assists, and three steals.
Nicholls held the Cowgirls without a single point through five minutes to set the tone for the night. Barrios hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession before
Adrian Mann made three layups, with her last capping the 15-0 start.
The Colonels led by as much as 18 in the second quarter, but the Cowgirls rallied to trail 33-23 at the break. And in the third, Regan Bolton hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to make it a 37-30 game before Nicholls answered with a game-ending run.
Over the next four minutes, the Colonels went on a 14-1 spurt and this time, Barrios ended the run with a 3-pointer for a commanding 51-31 lead. The Colonels were never threatened for the rest of the way.
Nicholls shot 47 percent from the field and hit 6 of 18 from 3-point range. The Colonels turned in another near-perfect night at the line, making 18 of 19 to improve to 77.8 percent on the season. Barrios was 9-for-9 and has made her last 23 attempts.
UP NEXT
The Colonels will host New Orleans at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, to kick off the women's/men's doubleheader at Stopher Gym.
