THIBODAUX, La. -- Fueled by a season-high 23-point performance from Jaylen Fornes, the Nicholls State University men's basketball program (14-6, 11-2 SLC) orchestrated yet-another successful second-half comeback in the team's penultimate home contest against Southland opponent Houston Baptist (4-15, 3-8 SLC), engineering a decisive 15-point victory over the Huskies, 83-68, on Wednesday evening at Stopher Gym.

In a true tale of two halves, the Colonels struggled mightily to find any rhythm on the attack throughout the opening 20 minutes, fortunately finishing just three points back of Houston Baptist despite shooting a dismal 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field compared to HBU's 53.9 percent (14-of-26). A team player through-and-through, Fornes wrapped up the period with no points; meanwhile, fellow senior Kevin Johnson -- the year-long steals leader within the Southland -- flourished amongst the defensive chaos, swiping a career-tying six steals to go along with a team-best 12 points.

Following the break, however, the Red & Gray saw an immediate shift on the offensive end of the court, as Fornes & Co. drilled back-to-back-to-back triples across the opening two-and-a-half minutes of action. The redshirt senior proceeded to catch on fire from long range, concluding the contest with a game-best 23 points behind a lethal 7-of-9 shooting performance at the three-point line.
 
KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the night, Nicholls finished shooting 42.1 percent (24-of-57) from the floor, 42.4 percent (14-of-33) from beyond the arc and year-best 87.5 percent (21-of-24) at the free throw line.
-- With the win, the Colonels manage to add Houston Baptist to their season sweep bank -- the Huskies join Lamar, Southeastern Louisiana & Central Arkansas -- and maintain pace with current league leader Abilene Christian (11-1). With just three games remaining, the Red & Gray are still in the mix for both a regular season conference title as well as the coveted top seed in the upcoming Southland Conference Tournament.
-- Notably, the 23-point second-half showing by Fornes ranks as the best single-half outing by a Colonel since November 2019, as then-senior Dexter McClanahan posted 25 points in the opening period of an eventual 82-72 victory over UMBC at the Jamiaca Classic.
-- Meanwhile, Johnson managed to grab one more steal across the final 20 minutes, setting a new career record in the category with seven. The local Thibodaux product also racked up a game-second best 19 points, going a solid 7-of-10 at the charity stripe, and closed out the contest with a squad-high five assists.
-- Redshirt senior Andre Jones rounded out the Nicholls double-digit scorers on the night, registering 17 points along with a team-best six boards and three assists, while fellow senior Ty Gordon tacked on nine points, four assists and also a squad-high six rebounds.

UP NEXT
Despite the season winding down and the league tournament beginning to officially take shape, the Colonels continue to preach their "one game a time" philosophy, next hitting the road for in-state rival New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 27, tip slated for 6 p.m.

STAY SOCIAL
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