THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University men's basketball program (11-7, 5-2 Southland) kicked off the team's well-deserved three-game home stretch with one of the Colonels' most dramatic contests of the season, eventually falling to in-state foe Northwestern State (7-9, 4-3 Southland) on a three-point buzzer beater from Chudier Bile, capturing a 73-72 victory for the visiting Demons on Wednesday night at Stopher Gym.

The undesirable finish spoiled yet-another career night for sophomore Warith Alatishe, who managed to reset his best-ever scoring total behind a team-high 18-point performance. Notably, the Houston native has been indispensable as of late, averaging a double-double throughout the Red & Gray's four-game win streak as well as snapping his previous career-best on the glass less than a week ago, pulling down 16 boards in an 11-point victory at Southeastern Louisiana.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the game, Nicholls finished shooting 38.5 percent (25-of-65) from the floor, 32.0 percent (8-of-25) at the three-point line and 66.7 percent (14-of-21) at the charity stripe.
-- On the year, the loss serves as the first for the Red & Gray at home, as the team previously boasted a 6-0 record within the friendly confines of Stopher Gym.
-- Beyond Alatishe, four other Colonels worked their way into double-digit figures on the night, as fellow forward Elvis Harvey Jr. tacked on 15, senior Dexter McClanahan exploded in the second half for all 14 of his points and both junior Kevin Johnson and senior D'Angelo Hunter added 10 apiece.
-- On the glass, Alatishe also managed to set the tone for the Colonels, notching a team-best eight rebounds while Harvey Jr. grabbed six of his own.
-- Overall, the matchup featured 10 different lead changes -- most of which came during the second half -- and four ties. The Demons posted a 16-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, with 9:42 remaining in the first half and even worked back up to a 10-point edge with 8:29 left in the second before a late Red & Gray rally.

UP NEXT
The three-game home stretch for the Colonels continues this Saturday, Jan. 18 as the Red & Gray host the backend of a double-header against Central Arkansas, tipoff with the Bears scheduled for 3 p.m. at Stopher Gym.

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).