SEATTLE, Wash. - With the game tied after
Michael Gray Jr. made three free throws with 11 seconds remaining,
Byron Ireland picked up a steal and raced down the court for the game-winning layup as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team rallied late for a 71-69 win against Seattle on Monday night at the Redhawk Center.
It marked the third road win for the Colonels (8-5) this season, all a result of Ireland's late-game heroics. He made a game-winner with one second remaining at Northern Kentucky, put Nicholls up with six seconds with free throws at Louisiana, and ended 2024 with another game-sealer, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
Ireland was one of five Colonels to crack double figures in scoring, joined by
Trae English with 13 points -- 11 coming in the first half, and
Mekhi Collins,
Emarion Ellis and Gray added 10 each. Collins continued his dominance on the glass with a season-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Seattle (5-9) also had a balanced offensive attack with six Redhawks scoring 12 , 11, or 10 points. Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe led SU with 12 points and nine rebounds before fouling out.
The Redhawks carried their momentum from last weekend's win over rival Washington to jump out to a 13-4 lead over Nicholls. But the Colonels scored nine straight with
Robert Brown III nailing a three-pointer to tie the game.
Nicholls then got a three-ball from Ireland, and three three-point plays by English for a 25-21 lead. The Colonels went into the break with a 35-32 advantage with the aid of Collins' 10 points and 11 rebounds.
In the second half, Nicholls did not surrender the lead until Seattle's John Christofilis canned a three-pointer with 13 minutes to jump ahead 47-45. Despite Ireland's best effort on the offensive end, the Redhawks maintained their lead and went up by nine with four minutes remaining.
But coming out of the final media timeout, Gray drilled a three to start the Colonel comeback. Gray then made two free throws after a flagrant foul to cut the deficit to three, and scored inside again to make the score 67-64 with two minutes on the clock.
Seattle answered with free throws before Ellis added a bucket with 40 seconds to make it a three-point game once again. English followed with a huge steal and that led to Gray being fouled in the corner on a three attempt, making all three to tie the game at 69 with 11 seconds.
Seattle's Paris Downs dribbled down the middle of the court and Ireland picked his pocket with six seconds left and beat the defense back for the winning bucket with 1.4 seconds on the clock. Seattle heaved up a shot past halfcourt but it was well off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
Nicholls shot 47 percent in the victory and outscored Seattle 21-12 in points off turnovers. English logged five of the Colonels' nine steals in the win.
UP NEXT
Nicholls will open 2025 with four road SLC games, starting Jan. 4 at Northwestern State.
