HOUSTON, Texas - Four players scored in double figures for the Nicholls State University women's basketball team, led by 21 points from sophomore
Loan-Anh Johnson, as the Colonels held off a late surge by Houston Baptist University for an 84-78 victory Wednesday night in Sharp Gymnasium.
Nicholls (5-13, 2-7 SLC) trailed 25-11 after the first quarter but stormed back and led by as much as 17 in the fourth. But the Huskies (4-12, 0-7 SLC) countered in the final period to even the score before the Colonels hit 15 of 18 at the free-throw line to secure the victory.
Included in the quintet of scorers was senior guard
Airi Hamilton, who recorded her first career double-double with 20 points and a personal-best 13 rebounds. She shot 7 of 9 from the field and had five of the Colonels' 13 assists. Seniors
Chrystal Ezechukwu (16 points) and
Tykeria Williams (14 points) rounded out the leaders, with
Chelsea Cain (8) and
Kacie Fountain (5) accounting for the rest of the points.
The Colonels' early deficit was in large part due to hot shooting by the Huskies, who canned five 3-pointers in the opening quarter. But to start the second, Nicholls dialed up pressure on defense and recorded four steals on consecutive possessions, leading to easy buckets and a 12-3 run. A Hamilton layup knotted the game at 33 and the teams went into the locker rooms tied at 37.
The squads traded leads through the first five minutes of the third, but Nicholls dominated the rest of the quarter. Williams nailed a 3-pointer for a five-point edge and Hamilton followed with another 3-ball to put Nicholls up 60-52. Before the end of the third, Williams made a runner in the paint for a 10-point lead.
The run continued into the fourth as Nicholls scored the first seven points, including another 3-pointer by Williams.
Kacie Fountain's layup with 7:45 to go gave Nicholls its largest lead of the night, 69-52, and it would be the last field goal for the Red and Gray. HBU caught fire from long range and made five 3-pointers, including three by Megan Valdez-Crader, but never regained the lead, only tying it at 71-71 with 3:27 remaining.
All of Nicholls' points the rest of the way came at the free-throw line, while the defense limited HBU to just a pair of field goals before Kennedy Wilson's 3-ball before the buzzer made the final.
Nicholls finished at 55 percent from the field and 79 percent at the charity stripe. They were out-rebounded by two, 33-31, but had 16 steals on 20 HBU turnovers.
Timia Jefferson led HBU with a game-high 27 points.
UP NEXT
Nicholls heads to New Orleans Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup against the University of New Orleans. The Colonels will then play their next three games at home.
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