Nicholls State University

THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team eclipsed the 100-point mark in head coach Darion Brown's debut as the Colonels cruised to a 110-56 victory over North American University on Kids' Day Monday morning on Broussard Court at Stopher Gymnasium.

Nicholls (1-0) had five individuals score in double figures and all 13 players who saw the court scored at least four points. Sheridan Sharp filled the stat sheet with a game-high 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting, six assists and two steals. Jordan Matthews canned four 3-pointers for 12 points, Arop Arop added 12 points and nine rebounds, while AJ Dent and Cameron Simpson scored 11 each.

The Colonels shot 58.1 percent in the victory, knocking down 13 of 30 from 3-point range. On defense, Nicholls logged 16 steals on 23 turnovers and held the Stallions to 34.8 percent from the field. 

It took a few possessions for the Colonels to find their offense, trailing 4-0 before Sheridan scored the first points of the season, then Matthews drilled three from long range and Dent added another for a 14-9 advantage. 

A four-point play by Doyel Cockrill III doubled the Colonel lead at 22-11 and after he added another free throw midway through the half, Nicholls' lead stayed at double figures for the rest of the game. Nicholls was up by as much as 18 in the half before Simpson hit a deep triple in the final minute for a 53-37 advantage at the break.

In the second half, the lead continued to balloon throughout. Christian Winborne gave Nicholls its first 20-point lead a minute in, then the margin increased to 30 on a Jared Taylor slam with 12 minutes remaining. 

Arop put together a string of three consecutive dunks to excite the kids even further, with his last giving the Colonels a 92-49 lead. With 4:41 left to play, Junior Sileu scored on a layup to reach the century mark for the Colonels. 

For the Stallions, James Parker led the offense with 13 points, Donovan Fears added 11 and Ehiosasu Ogbomo finished with 10. 

Up Next
Nicholls will hit the road for the first time, playing UAB on Friday, Nov. 6. Tipoff in Birmingham is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.