NEW ORLEANS, La. - Playing its first game under head coach Tevon Saddler, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team jumped out to a 12-point lead in the opening minutes, but Tulane eventually came back before going on a 14-3 run in the second half to put the Colonels away in a 91-81 decision on opening night Monday at the Fogleman Arena. 

Nicholls (0-1) tried to make a run several times after falling behind by double figures but Tulane (1-0) countered each attempt, keeping its lead to no less than six points the rest of the way. 

Jamal West Jr. turned in a solid outing in his Colonel debut, scoring 24 points on 9 of 12 from the field while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Mekhi Collins was a force inside, posting a double-double with 14 points which included two dunks, 13 boards and three blocks. Diante Smith scored 11 in his debut and Jalen White chipped in 10 first-half points.

White and Robert Brown III were hot from outside in the first half to pace the Colonel offense. Both canned two 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes as Nicholls enjoyed a 25-15 advantage. Michael Gray Jr. came in off the bench and drained a triple earlier in the half, giving the Red and Gray their largest lead of the night at 22-10.

But Tulane went on a 14-0 run before the break, keeping Nicholls scoreless for four minutes. The Colonels went back up briefly after a pair of free throws by White; however, Kolby King scored the half's final five points to put Tulane up 46-42 at the intermission. King led a trio of 20-point scorers for the Wave, netting a team-high 22.

Smith had the hot-hand early in the second, making two buckets from behind the arc. But his second triple were the only points during Tulane's decisive run. 

Nicholls never let the deficit get out of hand, only trailing by 13 once. The closest they got was after a West putback made it 74-68 with over six minutes remaining.

Thanks to the big night by Collins, Nicholls held a plus-nine margin on the boards. Although the Colonels outrebounded Tulane, the Wave had a significant advantage in turnovers (9-18) and made the most of their opportunities at the free throw line, making 17 of 23. Nicholls had a tough night at the charity stripe, hitting just 9 of 20. 

The loss was the fourth in a row in the series against Tulane as the Colonels fell to 1-21 all-time.

UP NEXT
Nicholls will take on another in-state foe, heading to LSU on Friday, Nov. 10. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.