NATCHITOCHES, La. - A trio of Colonels scored in double figures led by a game-high 18 points by Kyla Hamilton, but Northwestern State pulled away early in the fourth quarter as the Nicholls State University women's basketball team dropped its seven consecutive game with a 67-58 loss Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum. 

Hamilton sank a buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 50-50 after falling behind by as much as 11 in the period. Northwestern State (5-8, 1-2 SLC) scored the first five points in the fourth and never trailed again. A Deonna Brister 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining cut the deficit to two before the Lady Demons accounted for the final seven points to notch their first league win.

After going 0 for 12 from 3-point range over the last four games, Hamilton broke out of her shooting woes and finished 4 of 7 from behind the arc. She also contributed six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Amelia Sandie scored in double figures as well for the first time in five games with 13 points and Brister chipped in with eight points and eight rebounds. Lexi Alexander totaled a team-high 10 boards to go along with eight points.

Nicholls had the lead, 17-16, after s strong first quarter. Sandie scored six points as the Colonels led 17-9 with 2:30 to go. However, NSU ended the first with a 7-0 run to pull within one.

The momentum carried over into the second with the Lady Demons going into the break with a `34-27 advantage. Nicholls got stuck on 21 points for a span of over five minutes, resulting in a 30-21 lead for the home team. 

In the third, Nicholls outscored NSU 23-16 to even the score through 30 minutes. The Colonels shot 8 of 14 in the period which included 2 of 4 from 3-point range. But in the final period, the Lady Demon defense held the Red and Gray to just eight points as NSU won its third straight matchup in the series. 

Northwestern State had four players crack double figures in scoring, led by Bengisu Alper and Joelle Johnson with 14 points each. Nicholls held NSU to 38 percent shooting but the Lady Demons converted on 12 of 16 at the free throw line. NSU also caused 20 Colonel miscues, leading to a 23-12 advantage in points off turnovers. 

STUFF STOPHER
Following the three-game road trip, Nicholls returns home to host Northwestern State (Jan. 14) and McNeese (Jan. 19). The contest against McNeese will serve as the program's annual "Stuff Stopher" game. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by calling the Nicholls Athletics Ticket Office at 985-448-4790 or visiting NichollsTickets.com.

FOLLOW THE COLONELS
Follow Nicholls Women's Basketball on social media on Twitter (@Nicholls_WBB) and Instagram. Follow Colonel Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the official YouTube channel (Nicholls Athletics). 

UP NEXT
Nicholls closes out its three-game road swing Thursday with a trip to Lamar. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.