HAMMOND, La. -- Bolstered by yet another lockdown defensive outing, the Nicholls State University men's basketball program (11-6, 5-1 Southland) concluded the team's three-game road stretch with yet another major conquest, battling past rival Southeastern Louisiana (4-12, 1-4 Southland) by a 69-58 final mark at the University Center in Hammond, La. Notably, the Red & Gray contained their third consecutive opponent under the 60-point plateau (52 at Lamar, 58 at Sam Houston State), not to mention fourth in conference play this season (58, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).

Individually, the Colonels were buoyed by a trio of significant performances as sophomore Warith Alatishe paved the way behind his fifth double-double of the season, racking up 14 points along with a career-high 16 rebounds. On the scoreboard, junior Kevin Johnson paced the squad behind 16 points -- ties a season-best (at Pitt) -- while redshirt senior Dexter McClanahan chalked up 14 points of his own.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the game, Nicholls finished shooting 42.6 percent (23-of-54) overall, 32.0 percent (8-of-25) from long range and 83.3 percent (15-of-18) at the charity stripe.
-- As a program, the 11-point win serves as the first in Hammond since March 2015, when the Colonels knocked off SLU by a close 75-69 margin.
-- Further, Nicholls moves to a league best 5-1 record, good for the team's best start since opening the 2017-18 season behind a 7-1 mark. Looking forward, the Red & Gray benefit from hosting their next three contests in the friendly confines of Stopher Gym, where they remain undefeated on the year.
-- In what may act as the season's top highlight for the Colonels, redshirt junior Andre Jones served up back-to-back dunks across the final 1:15 to erase any hope of a Lion comeback. The Arkansas native finished the night with nine points on just 21 total minutes due to early foul difficulties. 
-- Junior Jeremiah Buford continued his role in the starting lineup, making his third consecutive appearance as a member of the first five out. The Georgia native added nine points of his own on a 3-of-5 showing from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT
With the three-game roadtrip concluded, the Colonels head back to Stopher for the first time since Jan. 2, hosting in-state foe Northwestern State on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.

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).