NEW ORLEANS - After scoring just six points in the opening nine minutes of the game, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team was forced to play catchup the rest of the way against New Orleans and their attempt at a comeback fell short in an 88-82 loss Thursday night at Lakefront Arena.

Nicholls (14-14, 9-7 SLC) was down 11 at the half and as much as 19 following the break before gradually chipping away at the deficit. A Jalen White 3-pointer with six minutes remaining finally trimmed the UNO lead to single digits at 68-61, but the Privateers kept countering as Jordan Johnson drained three 3-pointers down the stretch. But the Colonels got a few late buckets by Marek Nelson, including a basket-and-one with 30 seconds to go that made it 87-82. Nicholls stole the inbounds and had two looks from behind the arc, but misfired on both. UNO added a free throw to make the final.

Nelson was one of five Colonels to score in double figures as he finished with a double-double, totaling 20 points and 12 rebounds. Lance-Amir Paul and Caleb Huffman each scored 14 points while White added 12 and Edoardo Del Cadia finished with 11. 

Although the Colonels bounced back at the free throw line by hitting 25 of 32 (78 percent), they shot 39 percent from the field and 7 of 26 from 3-point range. Huffman, Paul and Jones had off nights from the field, combining to shoot 12 of 41. Nelson was 7 of 10 overall and 6 of 6 at the line.

The Colonels' second-half comeback was sparked by White's four 3-pointers. Nicholls was 0 for 10 from behind the arc in the opening period but made seven after the intermission. White was 4 of 7 for all 12 of his points.

Johnson led UNO with a game-high 26 points. The sharp-shooting guard missed the first matchup with an injury and finished the night 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

The loss officially eliminated the Colonels from a chance of a three-peat as regular season champions. Nicholls was aiming to become the first team to win three straight Southland titles since 1981. The Colonels are now tied for fourth place in the standings and are searching for a first-round bye in next month's Southland Conference Tournament. 

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Nicholls will play its final two games of the season at home, hosting HCU on Saturday for Senior Day. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.