Box Score HAMMOND – Ryan Bathie scored a game-high 25 points to lead three players in double figures and Nicholls State held off in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana, 68-65, in a foul-plagued Southland Conference contest Saturday afternoon at the University Center.
Anatoly Bose scored 14 points, going 11-for-14 from the free throw line, while freshman Fred Hunter added 12 as Nicholls State (12-8, 5-2 SLC) made 31 of 43 free throws overall and captured its first win in Hammond since a 64-54 victory on Feb. 24, 2001. Southeastern, which was whistled for a University Center-record 32 fouls, dropped its second straight game at home and fell to 9-11 overall and 3-4 in the SLC.
“We had our opportunities to win the game, but we didn't take advantage of it and they (Nicholls State) did,” Southeastern head coach Jim Yarbrough said. “They didn't have any big plays, but they kept going to the free throw line and they kept steady scoring and that's a big win for them.
“We hurt ourselves with some mistakes in the first half and some more in the second. Despite that, we had some chances to pull right there and make some things happen and we couldn't take advantage from the free throw line late in the game.”
In a game that featured a combined 59 fouls with five players fouling out, including three by Southeastern, Nicholls State took advantage as it scored 21 of its 37 second-half points at the free throw line. A free throw by Bose and a three-point play by Hunter sparked a 9-0 run by the Colonels that was capped by a Bose 3-pointer that gave Nicholls State a 45-38 lead with 12:14 remaining.
Southeastern, which finished 22-for-38 (57.9 percent) from the floor, chipped away at the lead getting to within 57-56 on a 3-pointer by
DeShawn Patterson with 4:25 remaining. But Bathie hit a pair of free throws and Chris Iles sank a jumper to push the Colonel lead to 61-56.
The Lions closed to 66-63 on a 3-pointer by
Damon Forest with 25 seconds left and after Iles made one of two free throws with 16 seconds remaining the Lions had another chance to close the gap. Trailing 67-63, Forest's 3-point attempt on the Lions' next possession rimmed in and out and Kellan Carter iced the game with a free throw with 5.1 seconds.
Nicholls State, the SLC's top shooting team entering the game, finished 17-for-38 overall (44.7 percent), but held a 28-17 advantage on the glass. The Colonels grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, which led to a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points.
Chris Cyprian led Southeastern with 14 points while Forest added 11 with a team-high four rebounds. The Lions, who led 32-31 at halftime, used an 11-2 run in the first half to take a 28-21 lead on a steal and layup by Cyprian with 6:34 left.
Southeastern will resume Southland Conference action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it travels to face Texas State (9-11, 2-5 SLC), which snapped a five-game SLC losing streak with an 80-78 win at UT Arlington.
NICHOLLS STATE (12-8, 5-2 SLC)
Bathie 9-15 5-6 25; Bose 1-4 11-14 14; Hunter 4-9 4-9 12; Iles 1-4 5-7 7; Carter 2-4 3-3 7; Czepil 0-0 2-2 2; Friend 0-0 1-2 1; Paige 0-0 0-0 0; Payne 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-38 31-43 68.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (9-11, 3-4 SLC)
Cyprian 5-6 3-7 14; Forest 3-7 4-4 11; Sullivan 4-4 1-2 9; Tibbs 2-2 4-6 8; Span 3-8 1-1 8; Fortenberry 2-4 0-0 5; Patterson 2-4 0-0 5; Ndoumba 1-1 2-4 4; Pope 0-2 1-2 1; Burches 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-38 16-26 65.
Halftime – SLU 32, NSU 31. 3-point goals – NSU 3-11 (Bathie 2-6; Bose 1-2; Iles 0-1; Payne 0-1; Hunter 0-1), SLU 5-13 (Patterson 1-2; Fortenberry 1-3; Span 1-2; Forest 1-4; Cyprian 1-2). Fouled out - Friend, Payne, Span, Patterson, Fortenberry. Rebounds – NSU 28 (Carter, Hunter 6), SLU 17 (Forest 4). Assists – NSU 8 (Payne 3), SLU 13 (Sullivan 4). Total fouls – NSU 26, SLU 33. Technical fouls - None. A – 1,051.
