THIBODAUX, La. -- Propelled by a career-high 33 points from Kevin Johnson, the Nicholls State University men's basketball program (15-9, 9-4 Southland) managed to dislodge fellow league No. 2 Sam Houston State (15-9, 8-5 Southland) in Saturday afternoon's return to Stopher Gym, ousting the Bearkats in front of a spirited crowd by a final 88-82 mark to claim sole possession of the second seed within the conference.

Fittingly, Johnson initially surpassed his previous career-best of 20 points -- set Nov. 2018 against N.C. Central at the Emerald Coast Classic -- on a free throw just prior to the midway point of the second half, foreshadowing the junior's near-perfect performance from the charity stripe (18-of-20) which carried the Red & Gray to victory late. Additionally, sophomore Warith Alatishe continued his dominant post play down low, earning the eighth double-double of his young career off a 15-point, 14-board showing; redshirt junior Andre Jones also impressed, notching 18 points himself on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor along with 3-of-5 from long range.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the game, Nicholls finished shooting a perfectly even 50.0 percent (24-of-48) overall, 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from downtown and 83.3 percent (30-of-36) at the free throw line.
-- With the win, the Colonels complete the season sweep of SHSU and seal up solid footing in the league's current standings as solo No. 2.
-- The game featured 53 personal fouls combined between both teams along with three technical decisions, all three of which came on Sam Houston State: head coach Jason Hooten, forward Kai Mitchell and forward R.J. Smith. Notably, the high number of fouls resulted in five total players (three from Nicholls, two from SHSU) taking a seat due to a an excessive foul count.
-- Junior Jeremiah Buford composed a strong day on the hardwood after finishing his past five appearances with zero points, accumulating a season-high 11 points on 3-of-7 beyond the arc along with a pair of free throws.

UP NEXT
The Red & Gray remain at home for the next week, facing off against Lamar on Wednesday, Feb. 12 before hosting rival Southeastern Louisiana in yet-another doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 15.

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).