THIBODAUX, LA—Texas A&M-Corpus Christi defeated the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team 59-44 at Stopher Gym on Feb 20.

The Colonels started hot with eight straight points from Sophomore guard Britiya Curtis.

However, things began to spiral quickly, the Colonels making only one more shot in the first quarter and scoring five points in the second quarter.

The rough shooting performance from the Colonels allowed the Islanders to go on a 29-7 run. The run, fueled by 10 first-half turnovers, left Nicholls down 32-15 at the halftime break.

Nicholls picked up the aggressiveness defensively to start the half, running a full-court press. The Red and Gray held the Islanders to 9-23 shooting in the half and connected on 11 shots of their own.

Jesslyn Jalomo, 11, and Elli Garnett, 10, scored double digit points for the Colonels, Curtis finished two points shy with eight.

Despite the strong scoring performances, the Colonels shot their second worst field goal percentage(31.5%) in Southland Conference play.

The Islanders ended with three double digit scorers as Tymberlin Criswell scored 15 followed by Samora Watson with 12 and Mireia Aguado with 10.

The Colonels lost have a 1-4 record and have now lost two straight games since losing key players Tanita Swift and Deonna Brister.

Navigating the losses of Swift and Brister is a battle, but Payne said positivity is key.

“It’s been tough but, we’re just choosing to stay positive right now. We’re going to continue to build on these fourth quarters,” Payne said.

Still, with loss, the Colonels remain hopeful after securing a spot in the 2025 Southland Conference Championship Tournament.

“We’ve got a lot more life, we just gotta continue to fight, stay positive and have these girls get some confidence about them,” Payne said.

The Colonels are back in action on Saturday as they look to send their graduating players off with a win in their final home game against UT-Rio Grande Valley.