NEW ORLEANS - Robert Brown III scored 24 points and Byron Ireland added 21 as the Nicholls State University men's basketball team swept the season series against New Orleans with an 89-77 victory Monday night inside Lakefront Arena.

With the win, Nicholls (14-12, 9-4 SLC) secured a spot in next month's Southland Conference Tournament. With five games remaining, the team will now be battling for a double- or single-bye which is awarded to the top four teams in the standings. 

In the victory, the Colonels shot 50 percent from the field and 9 of 19 from the three-point line, while New Orleans (8-19, 3-11 SLC) connected on just 1 of 17 from long range. The three-ball was key for Nicholls during a run in the first half. With Nicholls trailing by one with seven minutes remaining in the period, Brown and Ireland combined for the next 11 points which included three three-pointers for a 33-23 advantage. Nicholls led 41-34 at the half and the seven-point margin would be as close as the Privateers would get the rest of the night. 

A total of four Colonels scored in double figures with Diante Smith and Jamal West Jr. adding 14 and 12 points, respectively. Smith had a double-double with 11 rebounds while West added two more blocks to his league-leading total. The 89 points scored was the most for the Colonels in regulation this season.

Nicholls also excelled at the free throw line, making a season-high 30 on 34 attempts with Brown going 10 for 10. The .474 clip from behind the arc was the second best percentage for the season. Brown led the way by draining 4 of 6, Ireland was 2 of 3, and Smith and Quinn Strander added the other three-balls. Strander chipped in with a career-high eight points. 

The Colonels held UNO to less than 40 percent from the field but the Privateers were able to hang around with 15 steals off of a season-high 26 Colonel turnovers. It marked the second straight outing that Nicholls had 20-plus turnovers.

Carlos Hart led UNO in scoring, finishing with 20 points off the bench. His bucket with seven minutes to go in the half gave UNO its last lead at 23-22. There were five ties and 10 lead changes through the first 13 minutes of the game.

Helped by Smith's 11 boards, Nicholls out rebounded UNO, 47-29. The 18-plus margin was the best effort for the Colonels in conference play this year. 

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Nicholls will host its annual Stuff Stopher on Saturday, Feb. 24 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The game will also serve as Senior Day. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.