THIBODAUX, La. - With Mardi Gras parades set to roll through town on Sunday, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team got the party started a day early as the Colonels picked up a season sweep of HCU with an 83-73 victory on Broussard Court at Stopher Gymnasium.

For the second time in league play, Nicholls never trailed as they took the lead for good after 60 seconds of play. The win lifted the Colonels to over .500 on the season at 11-10 and more importantly, improved their league mark to 6-2. The victory was also the 10th consecutive in the series against HCU, which slipped to 5-15 and 3-6. 

Four Colonels scored in double figures in the win, led by Byron Ireland who netted 23 points on 8 of 13 from the field. Jamal West Jr. (16 points) and Diante Smith (15) helped spark the early fast start, and Michael Gray Jr. chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds in his first start since late November.

Although Nicholls could not find its stroke from three-point range, making 3 of 17, the Colonels hammered HCU inside with 54 points in the paint. Nicholls finished with a season-high .559 field goal percentage after making 66 percent of its shots in the opening half. The first 20 points by the Colonels were on either a layup or a dunk as they led 20-10 through six-plus minutes.

HCU closed the deficit to five before halftime, but Nicholls answered with a 9-0 run for its largest lead of the night.  The Colonels went into the half with a 46-36 advantage.

In the second half, the Huskies made it a one-possession game when Michael Imariagbe, who had a team-high 18 points, scored inside to put the count at 60-57 at the 12-minute mark. But Ireland answered with a bucket inside and Oumar Koureissi followed with a layup on an offensive rebound to push the lead back to seven.

HCU made it a five-point game one more time with with eight minutes remaining but could never get any closer.

Playing without starter Robert Brown III, the Colonels received crucial minutes from Gray who finished 5 of 6 from the field. The 12 points marked his second-highest scoring output of the season.

On the defensive end, Koureissi chipped in with three blocks as Nicholls held HCU to 41 percent shooting. 

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Nicholls will returns to the court on Monday to host Northwestern State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.