LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Nicholls State University women's basketball team was outlasted 63-60 by Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinals round of the 2026 Southland Conference Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Nicholls threw the first punch of the game by generating an 8-1 run to open the contest. The Colonels kept the momentum rolling offensively as they connected on eight field goals while allowing the LadyJacks to shoot just 3-15 in the opening stanza.
 
After building an eight-point lead going into the second quarter Sh'Diamond McKnight connected on a jumper to give the Red & Gray their largest lead of the game (20-9). However, SFA responded with a 14-5 run to get within two before the Colonels hit four foul shots to hold a 29-23 lead at the intermission.
 
SFA flipped the script in the third quarter as they hit eight field goals and 10 free throws to outscore Nicholls 27-17 in the stanza. The Colonels led for most of the third until the Ladyjacks hit a layup with 1:27 to go in the quarter to spark a mini run that gave them a four-point advantage heading into the final stanza.
 
The Colonels opened the final frame with a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead before SFA tied the game with their own triple (53-53). That was the final lead change of the game as the teams traded baskets the rest of the way with the largest deficit being five.
 
Seven different Colonels scored as the unit was spearheaded by McKnight who finished with a game high 21 points on seven made field goals and six made free throws. Jesslynn Jalomo joined her in double figures as she hit two field goals including two from long range to finish with 10 points. Tanita Swift added eight points while Anyra Wilson had six points and eight rebounds. Emani Burks led the team in rebounds (11) while scoring seven points.
 
Nicholls finishes the season 15-16 overall and the squad has won at least one tournament game in all three seasons under head coach Justin Payne.