The men’s basketball team at Nicholls State University is preparing for its last two games at Stopher Gymnasium in an effort to complete season sweeps against Texas A&M-Commerce and UIW.
The first game, against A&M-Commerce, is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. and will also be the annual ‘Stuff Stopher’ event and Senior Day, where seniors Taylor Blanchard, Quinn Strander, and Jalen White will be honoured before the game. The home finale against UIW will take place on Monday night at 6:30 p.m.
Following a 12-point victory at New Orleans, Nicholls has already secured a place in the Southland Conference Tournament. While there is still potential to contend for the regular season title, with the team currently 3.0 games behind the current leaders, McNeese, their primary focus is to secure at least a bye in the tournament. The top two teams will receive a double bye, while seeds 3 and 4 will get a single bye. Currently, Nicholls, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Lamar are all tied for second at 9-4.
In their recent win over New Orleans, the Colonels’ success was greatly influenced by their free throw shooting and rebounding. Nicholls made a season-high 30 free throws, missing just four times, and had a significant 18-rebound advantage. Robert Brown III led the team with a game-high 24 points, making a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Byron Ireland also had a strong offensive performance, scoring 21 points and making 3 of 4 from three-point range.
Although Nicholls managed to secure wins on the road against both A&M-Commerce and UIW, both games required extra efforts, with combined overtimes needed to secure victories. In the game against UIW, they needed an extra period to secure the win, while their victory at Texas A&M-Commerce extended to two overtimes.
The visiting teams will also face challenges, as both A&M-Commerce and UIW will be shorthanded following a postgame altercation on Monday night. Four players from each team will be suspended for their upcoming games against Nicholls.
Once the final home games are concluded, Nicholls will conclude the regular season with three in-state road games at McNeese, Northwestern State, and Southeastern.
As the men’s basketball team bids farewell to Stopher Gymnasium, fans are looking forward to an exciting final home stand and are hopeful for a successful end to the regular season.
Sources:
– Nicholls State University Athletics