The Nicholls Men’s basketball team set out to break their seven-game losing streak in Southland Conference play this Monday at New Orleans, but ended up losing 74-53.

After a close contest the previous Saturday at the University of the Incarnate Word (10-8, 5-2 SLC) in the Alamo City, the Colonels (5-17, 1-7 SLC) hoped to cut down on technical errors on the offense that have been holding them back. Although the Colonels dominated in points scored in the first half and shot a higher percentage, turnovers and missed free throws allowed the UIW Cardinals to secure the victory in the second half.

“It seemed like there were many times tonight where we were getting momentum, but we’d have an error that ended up in a turnover,” head coach, J.P. Piper, said.

Nicholls’ 13 turnovers were converted to 15 Cardinal points and although center Liam Thomas led the offensive effort with 17 points, the Colonels fell short 61-68, making it their 13th consecutive road loss.

Despite an energetic start from the Colonels against rival UNO (8-12, 4-5 SLC), on Monday, they remained plagued by even more technical errors. They shot 35 percent of the first half and 35 percent of the second half and held UNO to 40 percent shooting, but still fell short in the end by 21 points.

The turnovers were an influential part of the game. UNO forced 30 Nicholls turnovers and made 18 out of 21 free throws, which provided them a cushion throughout the game, putting the Colonels at a disadvantage.

“I’m at a loss for how to explain why we committed 30 of them tonight. We forced 19, which normally you’d feel pretty good about, but when you commit 30, it really doesn’t make a difference in the game,” Piper said.

When the pressure was put on Liam Thomas on the perimeter, the entire offense had to adjust. A skilled “big man” with an earned reputation of being a confident ball-handler and three point threat, Thomas tried to stay out of foul trouble while getting trapped by powerful UNO defenders multiple times, but still turned the ball over nine times.

Center Kyle Caudill kept the team afloat by scoring 11 points and four rebounds, while only receiving eight minutes of playing time.

Junior forward Ja’Dante Frye managed four points while only seeing the court for 17 total minutes— a new season low.
The Colonels are still lacking the final results they need, but the intensity remains strong among the team. They look optimistically to this Saturday when they will host McNeese State (5-14, 3-6 SLC) and University of the Incarnate Word (10-8, 5-2 SLC), the following Monday. The hopes are high for the nine SLC games remaining.

“We had great effort and energy,” Piper said at his postgame press conference. “We’ll go back to work and we’ll fight to prepare to be ready for McNeese coming in on Saturday. We have to get this thing going in the right direction quickly.”