THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University women's basketball team had the lead in the final minute of regulation and overtime against UIW, but the Cardinals came through with clutch free throws down the stretch to hand the Colonels a 78-76 loss Thursday night in Stopher Gym.

Trailing by three with a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Nicholls (4-14, 2-5 SLC) tied the game on a Chyna Allen 3-pointer. The Colonels then got a stop and an offensive rebound, but only converted 2 of 4 at the charity stripe. UIW's Jaaucklyn Moore drew a foul with 10 seconds left and made both to send it into overtime.

In the extra period, Allen again delivered a game-tying bucket with less than a minute to go to knot the teams at 72. Another defensive stop led to a pair of free throws by Bryanna Washington, who scored a team-high 18 for the Colonels. 

UIW countered with two at the line by Brenna Perez to tie it back up with 20 seconds remaining, then Nicholls turned it over on their next two possessions, resulting in three more free throws by Moore. Trailing by three, Chelsea Cain scored inside but only three seconds were left on the clock. UIW added a free throw before the Colonels missed a full-court heave as time expired. 

Nicholls shot a season-high 49 percent from the field, helped by a 8 of 11 performance by Washington. But the Colonels were minus-10 in turnovers and UIW converted 17 of 21 at the line while Nicholls made 10 of 15.  

Cain finished in double figures with 16 points, while Allen scored 12. 

For UIW, Moore poured in a game-high 35 points on 11 of 31 from the field and also dished out five assists. She added three steals as Nicholls had 24 turnovers on the night.

UP NEXT
The Colonels will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m.