NEW ORLEANS – Trailing by two with 13 seconds left, junior
Danny Garrick nailed a left-corner 3-pointer to lift the Nicholls State University men's basketball team past the University of New Orleans, 64-63, Saturday at Lakefront Arena.
The Colonels (11-12, 4-6 SLC) made one final defensive stand on the other end as Privateers (13-10, 8-4 SLC) guard Damion Rosser clanked a runner off the side of the rim. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Nicholls.
"I can sit here for days and talk about that win," Colonels head coach
Austin Claunch said. "It's so hard to win any game let alone on the road against a good team. It comes down to – we talked about it all week – defense. We are going to make shots. We are a good shooting team, but we got back to guarding today. Just playing as hard as we could. I think that kind of set the tone for us early."
The Red and Gray responded after a slow start that consisted of zero field goals made in the first 5:31 of the contest. Nicholls later found its stroke, draining five triples in the period to take a 32-25 lead at the conclusion of the first half. The Colonels also limited UNO to just one long-range make in 12 attempts.
The Privateers tallied 20 of the first 33 points in the second half to tie the game at 45 with leading scorer Ezekiel Charles contributing three 3-pointers. Following back-to-back layups to regain the lead, Nicholls went without a field goal for the next 7:10, allowing UNO to build a seven-point advantage.
The Colonels finally converted a bucket when sophomore
Kevin Johnson found fellow sophomore
Ryghe Lyons on a pick-and-roll layup. Graduate transfer
Jeremiah Jefferson followed with a heavily contested trifecta to put Nicholls within two at 58-56.
Jefferson scored eight of the final 11 points for the Colonels, including a 3-pointer that put the Red and Gray ahead 61-60 with 1:09 to go. Privateers forward Scott Plaisance Jr. scored on a tip-in and Rosser made 1-of-2 free throws when Johnson found Garrick for the game-winning triple on the ensuing possession.
Jefferson led all scorers with 19 points and Garrick followed with 12. Johnson neared a triple-double with nine points and a career-high nine assists and eight boards. Nicholls dished out a season-high 19 assists.
UNO was fronted by Gerrale Gates and Plaisance's 15 points apiece. Plaisance added 11 rebounds for the double-double.
The Colonels return home to Stopher Gym to face Abilene Christian on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Get your season or single-game tickets now by calling
985-448-4790 or visiting
nichollstickets.com. For the latest news on Nicholls men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter
@Nicholls_MBB.
