LAKE CHARLES, La. - Despite matching UTRGV with a 50-percent shooting performance in the first half, the Nicholls State University men's basketball team turned the ball over eight times which led to 13 points and a double-digit halftime deficit as the Colonels were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference Tournament with an 86-68 loss on Monday night.

Nicholls finished with a 14-19 overall record and fell short of reaching the semifinals for the third time in as many seasons under Tevon Saddler. UTRGV (19-13) extends its first-ever appearance in the SLC postseason with a trip to the semifinals to face host No. 2 McNeese.

Trae English led the Colonels with 17 points on 6 of 13 from the field and added two assists and two steals. Jalin Rice scored 13 points and Christian Winborne added 11. Grant Sanders grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and had four steals.

Things started off bleak for the Red and Gray as they scored the games' first points but gave up the next 12 to the Vaqueros. But Zee Hamoda and Winborne made back-to-back triples to help the Colonels climb back into it. 

Before the 12-minute mark, UTRGV answered with consecutive three-pointers to push the lead back up to 21-10. The Colonels then went on an emphatic 12-0 run, slamming down three dunks during the stretch including an alley oop from Jalik Dunkley to Sanders that gave Nicholls a 22-21 advantage.

Filip Brankovic answered for UTRGV with a basket-and-one and another bucket inside, then holding a two-point lead, the Vaqueros drained two straight threes to spark an 8-0 run. UTRGV made six three-pointers in each half and finished at 50 percent for the night.

UTRGV led by as much as 14 but English scored in the final seconds to put the count at 44-32 at the intermission.

In the second half, the Vaqueros shot 68 percent from the field while limiting the Colonels to 39 percent. UTRGV led by as much as 25 before Nicholls made a late push to trim the deficit to 13 with 2:29 remaining but the Colonels could not get any closer.

Brankovic led all scorers with 21 points on 9 of 12 from the field and Koree Cotton finished with 18 points. 

Nicholls shot 44 percent from the field and made 15 of 17 from the free throw line, but struggled from long range by making 5 of 20.