THIBODAUX, La. -- With the Southland Conference Tournament just around the corner, the Nicholls State University men's basketball program (21-10, 15-5 SLC) orchestrated the team's second consecutive 24-point victory -- the highest margin of victory in Division I play this season -- in a critical regular season finale against in-state rival McNeese (14-16, 9-10 SLC), outmaneuvering the Cowboys by an 80-56 mark Wednesday evening at Stopher Gym.

Bolstered by the considerable win, the Colonels position themselves in final contention for the No. 2 seed, along with the attached double-bye, in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament. Currently, only Abilene Christian can surpass the Red & Gray in the seeding via the league tiebreakers; however, Nicholls' path to the second-overall berth remains clear entering the Southland's last weekend of play with ANY one of the following scenarios clinching the spot for the Colonels:
-- Abilene Christian LOSES at UIW (Saturday at 4:15 pm)
-- Sam Houston State WINS at No. 1 Stephen F. Austin (Saturday at 4:30 pm)
-- Northwestern State LOSES at Central Arkansas (Saturday at 3 pm)

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the game, Nicholls finished shooting 51.5 percent (34-of-66) from the floor, 40.9 percent (9-of-22) at the three-point line and 60.0 percent (3-of-5) from the charity stripe.
-- With the victory, the Colonels notch their third league split of the season after falling to these same Cowboys just over a month ago in overtime.
-- Further, the win closes out the Red & Gray's home record at a solid 13-1 mark, the best for the program since a perfect 9-0 performance by the 1997-98 squad. The lone loss at Stopher Gym this season came on a three-point buzzer beater by Northwestern State, edging past the Colonels 73-72.
-- Individually, Nicholls composed a relatively balanced showing from the usual cast of contributors, as redshirt junior Andre Jones paced the team behind 16 points while four other Colonels -- Dexter McClanahan (12), Elvis Harvey Jr. (11), D'Angelo Hunter (11) and Kevin Johnson (10) -- racked up double-figure performances as well.
-- Notably, Johnson set the tone for the Red & Gray on defense, swiping five steals on the night and pulling down six boards.
-- On the glass, both sophomore Warith Alatishe and junior Ryghe Lyons made an impact, grabbing a team-best eight rebounds apiece.

UP NEXT
With the regular season concluded, the Colonels receive a well-deserved week off before heading across state lines for the Southland Conference Tournament, scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 11 through Saturday, Mar. 14 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

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).