TOWSON, Md. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team found its offense in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field but it wasn't enough to overcome an ice-cold start as the Colonels fell to Towson University, 65-55, Friday afternoon at TU Arena.

Playing in his home state, Baltimore native Jamal West Jr. turned in another double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Diante Smith also scored in double figures before fouling out with 13 points.

Nicholls (4-8) connected on just 4 of 22 from the field as they found itself down 28-14 at the intermission. The Tigers (6-6) jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never trailed on the afternoon. 

The Colonels fell behind by as much as 17 points early in the second half but made a run, trimming the deficit to 33-23. Byron Ireland picked up a steal and Smith finished it off with a layup. However, Nicholls never cut the deficit to single digits until there was less than a minute remaining.

Christian May paced Towson with 16 points, leading three Tigers in double figures. Towson shot under 40 percent and struggled at the charity stripe, making only 12 of 26 from the free throw line.

Nicholls shot at 36 percent for the game and was hampered again by second-chance points at a minus-11 margin. The Colonels also had 15 turnovers that led to a 20-7 advantage in points-off-turnovers for the Tigers.

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Nicholls will play its final nonconference game of the season, hosting Mobile on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.