BEAUMONT, Texas - In a low-scoring affair that had a hectic final 90 seconds, senior guard Trae English made a layup with one second remaining to give the Nicholls State University men's basketball team a 53-52 victory over Lamar on Monday night in Neches Arena.

Nicholls used a late 10-0 run to grab a 51-47 lead with 1:26 to go, capped on a three-pointer by Zee Hamoda who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half. Lamar answered immediately with a three and after getting a stop, the Cardinals looked to have turned the ball over in the back court but a miraculous save led to a Braden East dunk and a 52-51 advantage with 24 seconds left.

With the clock winding down, English got by his defender for a layup but the ball got stuck underneath the rim, resulting in a jump ball in the Colonels' favor with five seconds remaining. English got the ball again at the top of the key and sliced through the defense for the go-ahead bucket. With only a second left, Lamar was unable to get a shot off as Nicholls snapped its six-game skid in the series.

English finished with a game-high 18 points and accounted for three of the Colonels' 12 steals on the night. Hamoda was a rebound shy of a double-double and Jalik Dunkley added eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Nicholls (12-17, 11-9 SLC) shot 36 percent for the game but made 44 percent in the second half after struggling to reach 20 points in the opening period. Despite the offensive struggles, the defensive tallied 10 steals in the half to keep Lamar from leading by more than nine points. The Colonels went into the break trailing 23-20.

Six minutes into the second stanza, Sincere Malone scored inside to give Nicholls its first lead at 30-29. But after the lead swapped five times over the two media timeouts, Lamar (12-17, 7-13 SLC) went on a mini run to go up 47-41 with four minutes left.

The Colonels' final spurt was started on a Hamoda three-ball, then English canned a jumper. Hamoda added an assist to Dunkley to give Nicholls back the lead before his final three-pointer set up the final chaotic 1:30. 

Lamar shot 36 percent for the game and also struggled from three-point range, making 4 of 23 while Nicholls made 5 of 28. The teams also combined for just 18 trips to the free throw line.

The Cardinals were led by Rob Lee Jr. and East with 10 points each. 

UP NEXT
Nicholls will return home for its final two games, hosting Southeastern on Saturday, Feb. 28 for Senior Day before the finale on Monday against McNeese. Monday's game will be a national broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

POSTSEASON
Nicholls has clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament, starting on Sunday, March 8. The Colonels are currently tied for fifth place and the top four teams receive byes.