THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team suffered its first home loss of the season as the Colonels were outlasted by Lamar University, 78-76, in overtime on Saturday afternoon on Broussard Court at Stopher Gymnasium.
Nicholls (7-9, 2-1 SLC) won both of its previous overtime games this season after rallying from second-half deficits, but this time, the Colonels were the team that wasn't able to hang on. The Red and Gray had a 61-49 advantage with seven minutes to go before Lamar (9-7, 3-0 SLC) came back and took its first lead of the day with 30 seconds remaining.
Byron Ireland scored on a layup to knot the game back up and then the Colonel defense did not allow the Cardinals to get off a shot before the end of regulation.
After
Jalen White put Nicholls ahead in OT with a three-pointer, Lamar's Terry Anderson answered with his own triple and scored again for a 76-72 lead.
Robert Brown III cut the deficit in half with a runner and then broke free after a
Diante Smith steal to tie the game via a goal tend with 33 seconds to go. But with the clock winding down, Chris Pryor maneuvered into the lane and got a layup to drop for the lead. With five seconds remaining, Smith raced down the court and found Ireland open for the potential game-winner but his three-pointer hit off the iron as Lamar escaped with the victory.
Brown finished with a career-high 25 points while White scored 19 on 5 of 8 from three-point range.
Jamal West Jr. scored 10 points before fouling out to round out the leading scorers. Smith collected a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight assists and four steals, but had an off day shooting as he totaled seven points of 2 of 16 from the field.
Following a red-hot first half where Nicholls drained 7 of 14 from three-point range paced by White's 4-for-4 start, the Colonels were just 1 of 7 from deep and shot 35 percent in the second half. Brown had two three-pointers and his jumper gave Nicholls its largest lead of the day at 42-29. But Lamar ended the period with the final six points.
In the second half, Nicholls stayed in front until the final minute. Anderson fueled Lamar's comeback as he scored the final six points of regulation. He had a layup with two minutes remaining to bring the deficit to two, tied the game with a pair of free throws, then scored inside with 36 seconds left for LU's first lead of the day.
Anderson matched Brown with a game-high 25 points and Pryor added 15 points and six assists.
Lamar shot 54 percent but connected on just 11 of 18 from the free throw line. Nicholls made 17 of 19 from the line and finished at 41 percent from the field.
The Colonels had 17 turnovers which were the most for team this season since the opening week. The miscues played a big role in Lamar's comeback as they had a 15-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the second half.
UP NEXT
Nicholls wraps up its three-game homestand on Monday, Jan. 15 against New Orleans. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
