HOUSTON, Texas - Marek Nelson finished with 23 points and Pierce Spencer accounted for the final nine Colonel points as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team knocked off Houston Christian, 92-91, Saturday night at Sharp Gymnasium. 

Nicholls (11-11, 6-4 SLC) trailed by four with 30 seconds remaining before Spencer sank a 3-pointer. HCU (7-17, 4-7 SLC) turned the ball over on the inbounds and then Spencer was fouled after an offensive rebound, hitting two free throws for the lead with six seconds on the clock. The Huskies pushed the ball to the front court but Nicholls picked up a steal to escape with the victory. 

With the win, Nicholls stays a game out of first place and extends its winning streak in the series against HCU to seven games. The Colonels will now play six of their final eight contests at home where they are currently 7-0. 

After scoring 24 in the last outing, Nelson duplicated his effort from the field with another 10 for 15 showing. He had a big game all-around, adding five rebounds and four assists. Spencer totaled 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting while chipping in with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Colonels also received a pair of 11-point performances off the bench by Lance-Amir Paul and Latrell Jones. 

Nicholls shot 50 percent in each half and led 44-42 at the break. The Colonels went up by as much as 11 in the first half but the Huskies used the 3-ball to keep pace. HCU hit 14 3-pointers on the night, sinking seven in each half.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair. For the game, there were a total of 17 ties and 13 lead changes. The largest lead for the Colonels after the intermission was five points, and HCU's biggest advantage came with 90 seconds remaining.

With 1:28 on the clock and the game tied at 85, the Colonels sent HCU to the free throw line for four attempts following a foul and a technical. The Huskies converted on all four and finished 21 of 24 for the game. 

Spencer quickly answered with a layup to slice the deficit in half, then HCU went back up four on a pair of Sam Hofman free throws. On the next possession, Edoardo Del Cadia found Spencer open for a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game with 20 seconds left. Del Cadia played 22 minutes off the bench, contributing with six points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 

Looking for the lead, Spencer took the ball to the rim and missed a layup but collected the rebound and was fouled on the putback. He sank both free throws as Nicholls finished 10 of 13 from the line, giving the team a 75 percent or better showing at the stripe for the third time in the last four games. 

Maks Klanjscek paced HCU with a game-high 24 points, sinking 6 of 11 from behind the arc. Brycen Long added 19 as five Huskies scored in double figures. 

Nicholls also had a solid night from 3-point range, making 8 of 22. Tyrease Terrell was 3 of 4 and hit back-to-back triples in the second half, and Spencer was 2 of 4. 

UP NEXT
Nicholls will return home for the first time since Jan. 19 as they host New Orleans on Thursday (Feb. 9). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.