LAKE CHARLES, La. - A runner by Caleb Huffman with 10 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team defeated McNeese for the second time in three days, winning 71-68 Saturday afternoon at the Legacy Center.

With the victory, Nicholls remained atop the Southland standings at 5-2 and climbed over .500 for the season at 10-9. McNeese (5-15, 2-5 SLC) suffered its seventh consecutive loss in the series and fifth straight on the campaign.

Huffman poured in a game-high 20 points and Latrell Jones was not far behind with 18. Pierce Spencer scored 10 points while Manny Littles had nine points and a team-high seven rebounds before fouling out. 

Despite the Colonels leading by as much as 12 in the second half, Nicholls could not put McNeese away and fell behind by four with 10 minutes remaining. Huffman then nailed a pair of 3-pointers as part of his own 8-0 run that gave Nicholls back the lead.  

McNeese led one more time at 65-64 and tied it twice in the final minutes with the last coming with 36 seconds remaining. Following Huffman's go-ahead bucket, Nicholls forced a five-second call on an inbounds under McNeese's own basket. Micah Thomas was then fouled and made both of his free throws, but the second was waived off due to a violation, keeping the Colonel lead at 61-58 and four seconds remaining. 

The Colonels elected to foul to prevent a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Trae English missed the front end of the bonus and Nicholls collected the rebound as the final horn sounded. 

CALEB HUFFMAN... CLUTCH 🤯

📺 https://t.co/mHvDSwi9Ex#SouthlandHoops x @Nicholls_MBB pic.twitter.com/9ebyJ5n3fc

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) January 21, 2023

The Nicholls outside shooting was key in the victory as the Colonels made 9 of 16 from 3-point range. Three came early to fuel an 11-0 advantage right out of the gate. Huffman made 4 of 8 for the game while Jones and Spencer sank 2 of 3. Jones was also fouled on a 3-point attempt in the second half and made all three as Nicholls converted 8 of 10 on the day. He also had a strong finish on a layup that gave the Colonels the lead with 90 seconds remaining. 

Despite the red-hot start, McNeese rallied back and tied the game at 18 but never led in the half. Thomas had two buckets before the break, including one 3-pointer, making way for a 40-32 Colonel halftime advantage.

Nicholls shot 53 percent overall to improve to 6-0 when shooting 50 percent or better. Although McNeese finished at 48 percent, the Colonel defense limited the opposition to less than 70 points for the sixth straight game.

The Cowboys received most of their points from the trio of Christian Shumate (18), Jonathan Massie (16) and Zach Scott (15). 

For the Colonels, Spencer and Lance-Amir Paul dished out four assists each and Jones added three. Mekhi Collins had two blocks in just eight minutes. 

UP NEXT
Nicholls stays on the road for its next two games, heading to Texas next week for a Thursday game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and a Saturday matchup at UIW.