NATCHITOCHES, La. - After winning three times on the road in the nonconference slate, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team was unable to carry that winning formula into league play as the Colonels fell 68-66 at Northwestern State in their Southland road opener Saturday afternoon. 

Northwestern State (6-7, 3-0 SLC) held a slim lead for most of the second half until Robert Brown III made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to tie the game for the Colonels. The Demons quickly retook the lead five seconds later on a pair from the line by Jon Sanders, setting up another dramatic finish. With the clock winding down, Byron Ireland was able to maneuver inside the paint for a layup but the ball rimmed out before time expired. 

The loss dropped Nicholls to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in the Southland. The Colonels will continue their six-game road swing on Monday night at East Texas A&M.

Michael Gray Jr. led the offense with 18 points, one shy of his season high, while Ireland totaled 15 points and six assists. Gray came up big in the second half with three three-pointers, finishing 4 of 9 from behind the arc.

Nicholls shot 43 percent and held Northwestern State to 38.6 but struggled to keep the Demons off the boards. The Colonels were outrebounded, 42-30, and NSU had 17 on the offensive end for a 14-7 advantage in second-chance points.

As close as the game ended up to be, the start told a different story. Nicholls could not find its offense and fell behind 18-6 after seven minutes. Northwestern State led 36-26 with 2:00 until the half but Nicholls went on to score the final seven points. Brown hit a triple to ignite the run as the Colonels trailed 36-33 at the break.

The stoppage did not thwart the momentum with Nicholls opening the second period with a 9-1 spurt. Mekhi Collins and Jamal West Jr. started off with dunks, and Ireland canned a three-pointer for a 42-37 advantage.

Micah Thomas, who had 18 points on the day, answered with consecutive triples to give NSU back the lead; however, Gray followed with two from downtown for a one-point edge with 12 minutes to go.

The Demons went up 53-52 midway through the second half on a Sanders layup and did not surrender the lead until Brown's late free throws. Nicholls stayed within four points during the stretch but could never regain the lead. 

Emarion Ellis led the Colonels with four blocks, while Collins added two with eight rebounds. Addison Patterson collected a double-double for NSU with 12 rebounds and 11 points.