LAS VEGAS, Nev. - After a first-half slugfest that left the game tied at the intermission, not much went right for the Nicholls State University men's basketball team for the rest of the contest as UC Irvine cruised to an 83-56 victory Friday night in the opening round of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic at Orleans Arena.
Nicholls (1-4) battled to a 29-all tie at halftime before the Anteaters shot 63 percent in the final period. UC Irvine (5-1) outscored the Colonels 24-7 to begin the half and Nicholls was never able to recover.
Micah Thomas scored 11 points in the loss and
Manny Littles joined him in double figures with 10 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Although the Colonels finished with a season-low in field goal percentage at 30.5 percent, Nicholls had a near perfect day at the charity stripe by hitting 19 of 22.
The Anteaters were held to 32 percent from the field in the first half while Nicholls shot at a 39 percent clip. The teams traded the lead five times with Nicholls' last coming after Littles found
Latrell Jones for a tough layup. Jones, who totaled nine points, also had a big bucket earlier in the half as he hit a deep 3-pointer to tie the game at 25. But it would be the only 3-ball for the Red and Gray as they struggled from behind the arc at 1 of 20 for the game.
In the second half, the Colonels found themselves trailing by four before UC Irvine pieced together a 15-2 run over a five-minute stretch. The UCI advantage grew to as much as 24 midway through the half as they went on to take the first-ever matchup between the schools.
UC Irvine had four players crack double figures, led by a game-high 18 points from DJ Davis. Along with outshooting the Colonels 48 percent to 31, UCI dominated on the glass with a 52-22 margin.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will take on the loser of New Mexico State and San Diego. Tipoff on Saturday is scheduled for 6 p.m. central.
