PROVO, Utah - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team carried a three-point lead into halftime at BYU, but the Colonel shooting cooled off as the Cougars picked up an 87-73 victory Saturday night at the Marriott Center.
With the loss, Nicholls falls to 0-3 on the season with all three contests being on the road. The Colonels will host their home opener this Tuesday (Nov. 22) against Jarvis Christian.
Four Colonels scored in double figures in the loss, led by 15 points by
Marek Nelson.
Jalen White came off the bench for 12 points by going 4 of 4 from 3-point range -- all in the first half. White hit two from behind the arc to cap the half, giving the Colonels a 40-37 lead at the break.
But like in the previous game against Wyoming, a double-digit run proved too much to overcome. BYU scored 11 straight points to go from two down to take a 56-47 advantage after five minutes in the second half. Nicholls answered with a 6-0 run to make it a one-possession game, but BYU countered with the next five points.Â
The Cougar lead went to as much as 12 before the Colonels made one last push. A
Caleb Huffman 3-pointer made it a 73-67 game with just over three minutes remaining; however, BYU's Gideon George answered immediately with a 3-ball as the Cougars went on to secure the victory.
George led BYU with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Fousseyni Traore also scored 15 points.Â
Nicholls finished 11 of 30 from 3-point range after coming out on fire, making 8 of 15 in the first half. The Colonels were able to get to the free throw line 19 times but cound not convert, shooting just 53 percent for the game.Â
Micah Thomas scored in double figures for the third time in as many games, netting 11 points on 5 of 10 from the field.
Latrell Jones added 10 points and had five of the Colonels' 14 steals. Nicholls entered the game ranked sixth in the nation with 12.5 steals per contest.Â
UP NEXT
Nicholls will host Jarvin Christian for its home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Tipoff at Stopher Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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