“Keep fighting, keep battling and keep believing you will win the game and good things will happen,” is the phrase head coach J.P. Piper says to his team during games, especially when the game is getting tough. The Colonel basketball team has accomplished one of their goals already. This season they are going into conference play with a winning record-the first time since the 1994-1995 season that the team has been able to accomplish this.

“I am really proud of them,” Piper said. “They worked hard and deserved it. They have earned it. I hope it is a sign that things have changed for Nicholls basketball and that we are about to start to make a name for ourselves and become a solid winning program in the Southland conference.”

“It’s what we strived for all year,” senior forward Ryan Bathie said. “It feels very good to come into conference with a winning record and honored since it has been that long.”

Bathie has been a top scorer for the Colonels in many games and was honored by receiving the Southland Conference player of the week award.

“It’s good to help the team out and win the game,” Bathie said. “There are other great players who are able to contribute.”

The Colonels also have many other players who have contributed in big ways. Sophomore guard Kellan Carter and senior guard Justin Payne are ranked 17th in the nation with 2.6 steals each. Freshman forward Fred Hunter scored a career high of 27 points against Southern University of New Orleans on Jan. 5. The team is ranked 18th in field goal percentage and 38th in scoring defense.

The team opened conference play on Jan. 10 against Northwestern State University.

“I was excited and always a little nervous on game day. It is a little extra excitement because now the games mean a lot because it is conference play,” Piper said. “Every game is critical but I’m glad it finally got here. There was nervous energy an hour or so before the game but once it got underway we had a blast.”

The Colonels were up by as many as 12 points before Northwestern State began to come back. With nine minutes left in the game and within 50 seconds, Northwestern State made a lay up, forced a turnover, stole the ball, rebounded after a missed Nicholls lay up and made both foul shots after a foul on Kellan Carter.

It was times like this where Payne would gather his team and try to pump them up.

“I tell them even though we are down to remain calm because we were alright,” Payne said. “I told them to keep being tough and to keep getting more stops.”

Despite how loud the crowd was and the various blocked shots against the Colonels, the team seemed as though they were unaffected. The Colonels energy could not be penetrated.

“We talk about focus and concentration,” Piper said. “We can’t control the crowd on the road. Block those things out, do not let them be distractions.”

“Coach said keep toughness and poise and that’s all we did,” Bathie said. “It didn’t really faze us. The crowd was loud but we kept playing the way we were.”

“Coach gave us a good game plan to follow and we executed the game plan,” Payne said.

The team was not only excited about going into conference play with a winning record but also starting off conference with a winning record.

“You always have to feel good winning the first conference game,” Bathie said.

The Colonels are back in action Saturday, Jan. 24 against Northwestern State at five o’clock following the Lady Colonels match-up against Northwestern State at two o’clock.