For the first time since the Southland Conference switched to the home/away scheduling format for men and women’s basketball almost two years ago, Stopher Gym hosted a doubleheader against McNeese State. While the Colonel men’s team was scheduled to host the Cowboys, the Lady Colonels were supposed to travel to Lake Charles to face the Cowgirls. However, due to facility problems the game was switched and the McNeese teams traveled together to Thibodaux.
In the first game the Lady Colonels defeated the Cowgirls 56-54 and in the afternoon game, the Colonels downed the Cowboys 61-53.
Lady Colonels 56, Cowgirls 54
Right on the heels of a 95-90 victory over Lamar two nights before, the Lady Colonels were looking to continue their winning ways in the midst of a five-game home stand, with the winless McNeese State Cowgirls next on the schedule.
The Lady Colonels began the game by jumping out to an early 6-0 lead, eventually extending that lead to 14-4 after the first seven minutes of play. Although McNeese would rally late in the half with the Lady Colonels up 30-23, the Cowgirls looked overmatched with Nicholls’ speed in guard play and size inside.
Shooting only 23 percent in the first half, the Cowgirls were saved by going 10-11 at the free throw line, while Nicholls shot a perfect 10 for 10 from the line.
McNeese came out of the locker room as a team that had nothing to lose in the second half and kept the Lady Colonels lead from growing any larger.
The turning point of the game came with eight minutes left in the contest when a Shonice Sprouce three pointer brought the Cowgirls to within two points of Nicholls at 45-43. After McNeese would stay within five points of the Lady Colonels throughout the rest of the game.
With a minute left, Brittany Boone made a three-pointer that put McNeese once again within two of Nicholls at 55-53. A Claire Barry foul put Jessica Hooker at the free throw line to tie the game for McNeese, but only made one and McNeese would not get the ball back in the game’s final seconds.
“We’ve been on the other end of these close games, so now I’m glad that we are the ones pulling out the wins,” head coach Mark Cook said.
Katherine Plummer led all scorers with 19 points followed by Barry with 12 and Kefu with 10.
Colonels 61, Cowboys 53
After losing to Lamar 89-82, Nicholls was once again playing a team that was ahead of them in the conference standings.
Like watching the first game again, the Colonels went on an 8-0 run to start the half, before McNeese began to find a rhythm offensively and cut an eight-point lead downto one, putting the score at 12-11 in favor of Nicholls.
With the score tied at 12, both teams would take turns having the lead, with McNeese ahead of Nicholls at the half 23-24.
Both teams had 27 shots from the field with Nicholls making 10 and McNeese making nine. Free throws were scarce in the half as McNeese was the only team that went to the line making four of four free throws.
As the second half started, one player was missing from the Nicholls lineup, senior James Dixon. Reportedly, Dixon exited the gym at halftime and did not return. His status on the team is still yet to be determined.
The team did not let the distraction affect them on the court as the Colonels jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first four minutes of the second half. Nicholls also earned its largest lead of the game at 50-31.
Although the Colonels went almost five minutes without scoring in the final 10 minutes of the game, the double-digit lead Nicholls had accumulated was too much for McNeese to overcome and the Colonels earned the victory.
“I was really pleased with the way we responded in the second half,” head coach J.P. Piper said. “I think we came out complacent in the first half, but the intensity picked up tremendously after.”
Stefan Blaszczynski led the Colonels in scoring with 17 points followed by Adonis Gray with 14, and Ryan Bathie with 10.
