THIBODAUX, La. - After spending the last five weeks on the road, the Nicholls State University men's basketball returns to Stopher Gym to host Stephen F. Austin on Saturday afternoon for the first of back-to-back home games. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. following the women's game.
After Saturday's women's/men's doubleheader, Nicholls (10-7, 4-2 SLC) and Lamar will square off on Monday at 1 p.m.
The Colonels are 2-0 in Thibodaux in league games with wins over Southeastern and New Orleans in early December. Nicholls split its four games on the road, winning the last one on Monday at UIW.
Robert Brown III shined in the victory, scorching the nets for a career-high 37 points on 9 of 10 from three-point range.
Jaylen Searles also had a big game for the Red and Gray, scoring 19 points for his season high.
Byron Ireland continues to pace the offense in league play with 15.0 points per game and 3.7 assists. Brown's performance at UIW pushed his scoring average up to 13.7 ppg and he is now shooting 48.4 percent from three in the six SLC games.
SFA (8-9, 1-5 SLC) has gotten off to a rough start in its return to the Southland but looks to continue its success in the series against the Colonels having won nine of the last 10 before leaving the conference. It marks the first matchup between the schools since 2020.
Despite heading to Thibodaux with only one league win, the Lumberjacks have been one of the best defensive teams in the nation. SFA ranks 24th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (.391) and has allowed just one team in conference play to score more than 70 points.
Lamar (9-8, 4-2 SLC) jumped out to a 4-0 start in conference but has dropped the last two -- including its matchup with SFA. LU and Nicholls have three common opponents so far with both winning against Louisiana and UIW. The Colonels defeated New Orleans in their last home game while the Privateers handed Lamar its last loss.
The Cardinals swept the two games in 2024, highlighted by a 78-76 overtime victory in Stopher. LU then won by 19 in the meeting in Beaumont.
