After defeating Sam Houston State in overtime Saturday, men’s basketball will look to bring their winning streak to three games when they take on Oral Roberts tonight in Tulsa, Okla.
The Colonels struggled out of the gate against the Bearkats, trailing by 12 at the half and never holding a lead in regulation. Head coach J.P. Piper felt his team was lacking defensively early on. Nicholls was able to weather the storm though, with Sam Houston shooting only 19% from the field in the second half compared to 56% in the first, including six made threes.
“We settled in and got better defensively in the second half,” Piper said. “We created some misses and got ourselves back in the game.”
According to freshman guard T.J. Carpenter, who scored 11 points Saturday, the team knew it would take more focus and intensity in the second half.
“We came out with too many careless turnovers and had basically beaten ourselves,” Carpenter said. “We came out in the second half and did what we had to do. We got the ball to the rim instead of settling for threes.”
The Colonels were forced to go into overtime without senior forward and recent LSWA Player of the Week Fred Hunter when Hunter fouled out with two minutes left in the second half. Despite the loss of the starting forward, Nicholls was able to take a victory, capped off by two made free throws by junior guard Dantrell Thomas.
“I am really proud of the effort of our guys,” Piper said. “It is good when we can win without Fred on the floor.”
Piper also felt the Colonels got a strong performance from sophomore point guard Shane Rillieux, even if the box score fails to show it.
“He managed the game well,” Piper said. “He did not come off the floor in the second half, and that was not an accident. He runs the show on both ends of the floor, and I thought he was outstanding. You need guys like that. They do not get the headlines or player of the week awards, but you don’t win without them.”
The win puts the Colonels in a tie with Southeastern for fourth place in the conference going into tonight’s game, which marks the midway point on the conference schedule. Nicholls last played 7-1 Oral Roberts three weeks ago in a losing effort.
The Colonels fell behind by 17 at the half in the first meeting and were never able to recover. The Golden Eagles shot over 50% from the field and outrebounded Nicholls 42-23.
“Last time we played a horrible game,” Carpenter said. “I think this time we are going to be ready with more intensity.”
Piper feels his squad is sitting well in the standings, but a win would improve their positioning in the SLC as the season comes to a close.
“It is a great spot to be in,” Piper said. “We are just going to keep trying to win games and climb up the ladder. No one is undefeated in the league, so anyone can win on any night. We have to be ready to go out and compete.”