CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Nicholls State University men's basketball team used a 10-0 run early in the second half to gain its first lead of the day, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi answered immediately with its own double-figure run as the Colonels fell 69-59 Saturday afternoon inside the American Bank Center.
 
Diante Smith scored 20 points in the loss and helped spark the second-half surge. Nicholls (8-10, 3-2 SLC) scored just 25 points in the opening half and trailed by eight but found its offense after the break, fueled by Smith's eight points which included a bucket for a 40-38 lead. 
 
But missed shots inside and turnovers allowed the Islanders (11-7, 4-1 SLC) to counter with an 11-0 spurt that proved to be too much to overcome.
 
Jamal West Jr. was the only other Colonel in double figures, finishing with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double. 
 
Nicholls was held to 35 percent shooting and had its second most turnovers of the season with 18. On defense, the Colonels had trouble keeping the Islanders out of the paint as AMCC racked up a 46-18 advantage in points in the paint. They totaled 17 offense rebounds while shooting just under 40 percent for the game.
 
Garry Clark led AMCC with 22 points and 13 rebounds while Dian Wright-Forde finished with 14 points. 
 
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Nicholls will head to San Antonio for a Monday night matchup against UIW. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.