The Nicholls men’s basketball team dropped their annual Stuff Stopher game Monday (80-88) to Northwestern State University in front of this season’s largest home crowd.

A reported 2,147 fans watched the Colonels lose their sixth Southland Conference matchup in a row. The losing streak, combined with inconsistent play from veteran starters, has prompted Head Coach J.P. Piper to make changes to lineups and playing time.

“Sitting at 1-7, [in the Southland Conference] what we’re doing is not working,” Piper said. “Now we have to try it a different way.”

The Colonels stuffed the stat sheet in the loss, scoring more points off turnovers, bench points, points in the paint, fast break points and collected more blocks than the Demons. However, back-to-back-to-back three-point baskets with under four minutes remaining in regulation put the game out of reach for the Colonels.

Piper said the specifics the coaching staff and players are working on in practice are transferring over to the game, but for only 30 out of the 40-minute contest.

Nicholls State University opened up Southland Conference play in January against five of the current top six teams in the SLC, two of which are still undefeated. During the current losing streak, the Colonels have only led in the second half in two games, with the largest second-half lead being five points against the University of Central Arkansas on Jan. 23rd.

Point guard Schane Rillieux used the big stage to turn in his biggest performance of the year. Rillieux tallied a career-high 17 points, adding seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. The senior from New Orleans reached double digits for the third time this season, but also reached a career-high in turnovers with seven.

“All we can do is address what we didn’t do well and stress that at practice,” Piper said. “If it’s the same guys making the same mistakes over and over again, maybe somebody else needs an opportunity.”

One Colonel who got his first opportunity to start for the Nicholls on Monday was Adam Ward. Ward, a junior from Houston, Texas, was one of the first players off the bench for Piper this season, providing Nicholls with a lift in athleticism and defense. Ward responded with a career performance in points and rebounds, scoring 15 points while collecting seven boards.

“After what I saw tonight, Adam is the starter,” Piper said. “I like his energy. It allows us to play fast, throw the ball around the rim and he cleans up a lot of mistakes others make on defense.”

Another newcomer to the program, Jonathan Bell, has also played his way into the starting lineup. The junior college transfer, hailing from Los Angeles, California; is averaging 10 points in conference play, with a season high of 27 coming last month in a game at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Piper calls Bell the most pleasant surprise of the season.

“He’s willing to be a guy who can do everything,” Piper said. “If we need him to make a three, or push the ball in transition or get a scrappy rebound, he can. He does a little of everything. Nothing is extraordinary but he plays hard and we like that.”

Nicholls will look to turn their season by earning their first road win of the season at the University of Incarnate Word on Saturday before heading to the Crescent City to take on the University of New Orleans on Monday.

“We have two choices, either give up or keep working,” Piper said. “I assure you, we will keep working.”