After a hard-fought battle at home against Sam Houston State University on Saturday, the Nicholls men’s basketball team fell to the Bearkats by the score of 75-65.

The Colonels mustered a 14-0 point run in the second half to decrease the SHSU lead down from 15 to one, but ultimately SHSU responded with a 10-2 run of their own, which put the game out of reach. Nicholls’ bench outscored the opposition 31-18 but was less successful from the free throw line; the Colonels made 13-19 attempts whereas the Bearkats were 24-34 on the afternoon.

“I am proud of my guys and how they competed,” head coach JP Piper said. “We felt the game was still in reach until they made a couple of big plays late in the second half, and it eventually slipped away from us.”

Though early in the season, Nicholls has already been bitten by the injury bug, losing starters and key players for the rest of the season such as senior guard Fred Hunter and freshman forward Lachlan Prest. Also struggling with injuries are senior guard Ben Martin and junior guard Pedro Maciel.

With such injuries, the Colonels have little depth and are capable of rotating only nine or ten healthy guys onto the floor.

“We are honestly in a pretty bad place in terms of injuries,” Piper said. “I wish that we were healthier. You can say that we would have won the game today if we were not so injured, but I would like to find out.”

“I feel for these guys having to battle through all this adversity,” Piper said. “They showed up and competed well today. I have a great level of confidence in this group of guys, we just need some time to grow up and heal.”

As a result of these injuries, young incoming players like Louisiana natives guard Shane Rillieux and forward Trevon Lewis have stepped in and filled important roles for the Colonels. This has thrust the youthful duo into the starting lineup.

“Those guys [Rillieux and Lewis] have bright futures ahead of them,” Piper said. “They are still learning, so part of what is happening to us right now is that sometimes we are making mistakes in critical parts of the game. There is just a lack of experience right now.”

“However, I would not change anything,” Piper said. “I want them on the floor, competing and working hard. They just have to keep learning as part of the process.”

In concurrence with Piper, Rillieux said, “It has been rough dealing with all of the injuries. Coach Piper is always telling us about the process, and there is nothing you can do besides continuing to work hard while trying to get better every day.”

As of Jan. 17, the Colonels have accumulated a record of four wins and 12 losses. However, two of those defeats are to Division 1 powerhouses such as the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina.

“Although those games do not represent what kind of teams we will face in our conference, I believe those game are important,” Piper said. “Our guys enjoy playing them, and I enjoy putting my players in those situations.”

“There are definitely things to take away from experiences like that, so we will continue to play those types of games in the future,” Piper said.

From a player’s perspective, Rillieux said, “It was exciting to play against future professionals in those environments. I’m so happy we had the opportunity to play them.”

One lesson that Rillieux has taken from his experience playing at a venue like Chapel Hill against a team as talented as North Carolina is the importance of playing and behaving like a team.

“We walked away closer as a team,” Rillieux said. “No matter what the outcome is, we practice, win and lose as a team.”

In the midst of conference play, the Colonels will hit the road this weekend as they travel to Hammond to face the Lions of Southeastern on Saturday. They will play another in-state foe, at home on Wednesday night against McNeese State at 6 p.m.