SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team scored in each possession of overtime against UIW, but it was a steal by
Byron Ireland that would clinch the game as the Colonels defeated the Cardinals, 78-74, Monday night inside the McDermott Center.
In just its sixth Southland Conference game, Nicholls (9-10, 4-2 SLC) has played in three overtime contests and won twice -- both on the road. UIW fell to 0-5 in league play at 5-13 overall.
Diante Smith and Ireland carried the offense with 20 points each while
Robert Brown III (15 points) and
Mekhi Collins (10) scored in double figures, but it was another defensive effort that would send the game into overtime. Nicholls fell behind by nine points in the second half and never led down the stretch before Collins slammed home a putback to knot the game at 62 with 20 seconds remaining. Then with the clock winding down, Collins swatted away a three-point attempt as time expired for his fifth block of the night.
In the extra period, Brown came up big off the tip by scoring a layup and after UIW tied it back up, he drained a three-pointer. But UIW answered with a three ball by Josiah Hammons to tie the score at 67.
Smith then crashed the boards for a putback and after the Cardinals answered again, he scored on a another offensive rebound. The Cardinals answered one last time on a bucket by Alex Anderson.
With 1:44 to go, Smith sank a floater to give Nicholls a two-point edge. After a stop,
Jamal West Jr. made two free throws for a 75-71 lead. Dylan Hayman gave UIW some life with a three-pointer and the Cardinals sent Smith to the line with 14 seconds left and made just one of two, setting up the final play.
Anderson started to drive at the top of the key but Ireland picked his pocket and raced down for a layup in the final seconds to secure the win.
The game featured 10 ties and seven lead changes. Nicholls led for most of the first half before UIW closed it out with a 7-0 run for a 35-34 advantage. After the intermission, Brown scored twice to give Nicholls the lead but it would be the last time UIW trailed until overtime.
With Nicholls down 50-41 with 12 minutes to go, Ireland started the comeback with a jumper and
Oumar Koureissi followed with a basket-and-one. Brown added a bucket and a Smith steal led to an Ireland layup, capping a 9-0 run that tied the game at 50-all. Although the Colonels could not grab the lead, they never let UIW put the game out of reach. The Cardinals led by five at one point but an Ireland triple helped erase the deficit.
On the defensive end, Smith tallied three more steals as he continues to be one of the leaders in the NCAA. He entered the matchup ranked ninth in the NCAA with 2.5 per game.
UIW was led by Anderson with a game-high 21 points. Sky Wicks added 14 and Hammons totaled 11.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will head back to Texas on Saturday to face A&M-Commerce with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
