THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University women's basketball team used another stellar defensive effort to defeat rival Northwestern State, 73-66, Wednesday night on Broussard Court in Stopher Gymnasium.
The Colonels held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting for the third straight game - all resulting in wins. With the victory, Nicholls (9-16, 6-10 SLC) moved past Lamar in the Southland Conference standings and now trail Southeastern Louisiana and Central Arkansas by one game in the win column. SLU and UCA currently hold the final two spots in next month's Southland Tournament and Nicholls will head to UCA this weekend for a Saturday matchup with the Sugar Bears.
Against Northwestern State (7-18, 4-12 SLC), while the defense took care of business on one end, the Colonel offense was able to get to the free throw line 31 times, connecting on 24. Five of the misses came late in the game as the Lady Demons mounted a comeback, trimming an 11-point deficit in a minute to 72-66 with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Northwestern State had a chance to cut it in half but misfired on a 3-pointer, and
Loan-Anh Johnson hit one free throw in the final seconds to secure the win.
Chrystal Ezechukwu came off the bench for a game-high 18 points, hitting 8 of 12 from the field.
Airi Hamilton and
Tykeria Williams scored 17 points each, and
Chelsea Cain made 10 of 11 free throws and totaled 12 points.
The visitors only led in the opening quarter before Nicholls took the lead with 2:41 remaining in the first and never looked back. The Colonels stretched the lead to double figures in the second and headed into the break with a 34-22 advantage. The final bucket for Nicholls in the half was courtesy of Williams who had a steal and a layup. Williams recorded five steals on the night, added six assists, and hit 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Nicholls led by double figures for most of the second half and by as much as 15 before NSU's late rally.
The Lady Demons were led by Lacee Savage with 17 points and Jasmyn Johnson canned four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.
UP NEXT
The Colonels will play their final weekend road game on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Central Arkansas. Tipoff in Conway is scheduled for 1 p.m.
STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonel Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_WBB).
