LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Powered by a trio of elite performances out of veterans Najee Garvin, Kevin Johnson and Ty Gordon, the Nicholls State University men's basketball programĀ (17-6, 14-2 SLC) claimed the program's second Southland Conference regular-season championship of the past four years behind a clear-cut victory over in-state rival McNeese (10-12, 4-9 SLC), closing out the 2020-21 campaign with an emphatic 80-67 decision against the Cowboys on Thursday evening at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, La.
Despite a strong start from McNeese initially propelling the hosts out to a three-point halftime advantage, the Red & Gray battled back throughout a dominant second period of play, outpacing the Cowboys by a 46-30 margin en route to the eventual victory. Notably, the Colonels composed a 55.2 (16-of-29) overall shooting percentage over the course of the final 20 minutes, grabbing a one-point edge at the 13:16 mark and never looking back.
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KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
-- For the night, Nicholls finished shooting 46.2 percent (30-of-65) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) at the free throw line.
-- With the win, the Colonels clinch, at the very least, a share of the regular-season conference title along with, at worst, the No. 2 overall seed in the upcoming league tournament. In terms of final determinations for positioning at Katy, Nicholls need only pay attention to Sam Houston and the Bearkats' Saturday clash against Stephen F. Austin, as a win grants SHSU a share of the regular-season championship and the top placement at the tournament while a loss vaults the Red & Gray to the No. 1 spot via a solo title for the 2020-21 campaign.
-- Individually, redshirt junior
Najee Garvin continued to serve as a high-energy substitution off the bench, posting a game-high 20 points behind a 7-of-12 overall shooting performance along with a key 6-of-8 at the charity stripe. Further, the South Carolina native put in some work on the glass as well, capturing a squad-high eight boards.
-- Meanwhile, four-year veteran guard
Kevin Johnson put an exclamation mark on the final regular-season contest of his storied career with the program, lighting up the scoreboard for 19 points on a 3-of-6 showing from long range while dishing out a squad-best four assists. Additionally, the senior continued to effectively pester opposing offenses as the Thibodaux product notched a team-high two steals on the night, officially pulling within four of the all-time career mark in the school record books (James Banks, 1996-00, 247).
-- Fellow senior
Ty Gordon rounded out the top scoring contributors for the Red & Gray, registering 17 points in, coincidentally, his 17th double-digit outing of the season.
-- Notably, seniors
Andre Jones and
Damien Sears combined for a meaningful 16 points during the victory, as each consistently converted critical opportunities to score throughout the tight periods of the matchup. Interestingly, Jones even managed to share a pair of team-bests, securing eight boards -- same as Garvin -- while also logging four assists -- same as Johnson.
UP NEXT
Following the official conclusion of the 2020-21 regular season, the Colonels receive a well-deserved week-long hiatus while the squad awaits travel preparations for upcoming Southland Conference Tournament, slated for Tuesday, Mar. 9 through Saturday, Mar. 13 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. With the victory over McNeese in hand, the Colonels enter the 10-team tournament certain in the knowledge they'll compete on Friday, Mar. 12, but unsure of at exactly which seed, as the result of Sam Houston's regular-season finale against Stephen F. Austin this Saturday will determine whether Nicholls earns the No. 1 or 2 overall position.
STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Men's Basketball, follow the team on Twitter (
@Nicholls_MBB), Instagram (
@nicholls_mbb) and like their Facebook page (
Nicholls Athletics).
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-- #GeauxColonels --
