The Lady Colonels basketball team picked up its first conference win of the season by defeating the Sam Houston State Lady Bearkats 81-80 Saturday in Stopher Gym. “The game was not pretty, but we ended up with the win, and that is what counts,” head women’s basketball coach Mark Cook said. “I think our team showed hard work and character by coming back and winning the game at the end.”

Following the win on Saturday, Nicholls (3-10, 1-1 SLC) jumped to second place in the Southland Conference Eastern Division while Sam Houston (1-15, 0-3 SLC) fell to sixth place in the West.

Nicholls jumped on top first with an early 15-5 lead. Then the Lady Bearkats came back and obtained a two-point advantage at the half with a score of 39-37.

There was no shortage of scoring in the second half as both teams went back and forth on the court making open shots.

Nicholls finally gained the edge when junior guard Tiffany Jones sealed the win by hitting a free throw with eight seconds remaining.

Sam Houston out-gained Nicholls in field goal percentage and three point percentage. But the Lady Bearkats had 24 personal fouls compared to Nicholls 14, giving the Lady Colonels opportunities at the foul line.

Senior point guard Katherine Plummer scored a total of 30 points, 23 of which came in the second half. The senior was 10 of 15 from the floor and shot 10 of 12 from the free throw line.

“She carried us for a while on the court today,” Cook said. “I couldn’t ask her to play any better. She was excellent today going 66% from the field and 90% from the free throw line.”

The Lady Colonels will be back in action tonight when they host Texas Arlington (6-6, 1-0 SLC) at 6:30 in Stopher Gym.