THIBODAUX, La. - Pierce Spencer notched his second straight 20-point effort and Ryghe Lyons turned in a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team picked up a 69-58 win over Northwestern State Thursday night on Broussard Court in Stopher Gymnasium.

Nicholls (11-8, 1-1 SLC) and Northwestern (4-15, 0-2) were even with 10 minutes remaining, but the Colonels turned up the defense to limit the visitors to just four points the rest of the way. On the offensive end, Jalen White started the decisive run with his third 3-pointer of the half. 

The Red and Gray used their defense to make way for a couple of easy buckets and saw the lead grow to as much as 12, grabbing a 65-53 lead with three minutes to go. The Demons elected to foul in the final few minutes but never came closer than seven points.

The Colonels had four players in double figures as Devante Carter scored 13 while dishing out five assists, and Manny Littles came off the bench for 10 points. Spencer finished a rebound shy of a double-double and added three assists and two steals.

Nicholls had a significant advantage in turnovers, matching their low of eight while getting 10 steals off of 18 Demon miscues. The Colonels turned it into an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers. 

The Demons were paced by Carvell Teasett with 17 points and Larry Owens added 11. 

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Nicholls will look to avenge an earlier loss this year against Southeastern, hosting the Lions on Saturday on ESPN+. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. after the conclusion of the women's game.