HAMMOND, La. –   Nicholls' Ty Gordon scored on a layup with two seconds left due to goal-tending to defeat the Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball, 86-84, in overtime Saturday night at the University Center.
 
The Lions (6-13, 4-6 Southland) were led by junior Gus Okafor and sophomore Nick Caldwell with 19 points each. Okafor, a Baltimore, Maryland native, also added 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Senior Keon Clergeot added 17 points including a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation. Senior Elijah Ifejeh chipped in with points and five rebounds.
 
The Colonels (12-6, 9-2 Southland) got 30 points from Najee Garvin on 12-for-19 shooting. Jaylen Fornes added 15 while Kevin Johnson and Andre Jones each had 11 to pace Nicholls.
 
Southeastern fell behind by 12 points in the first half, 31-19, before rallying to cut the Colonels' lead to 46-43 at halftime. The Lions also shot 14-for-16 from the free throw line in the first half but Nicholls countered with six three-pointers.
 
In the second half, Nicholls built a nine-point lead of 54-45. But Southeastern, again, rallied back to cut the Colonels' advantage to 58-57 with 13:55 to play.
 
SLU was able to tie the game at 68-68 for the first time since the opening tip after Ifejeh got an offensive rebound and tip in with 5:51 left. The Colonels were able to inch back in front and had a 79-76 lead in the final moments of regulation.
 
But Clergeot, the Lions' leading scorer for the season, banked in a three-pointer from the wing with 5.9 seconds left tying the game at 79-79 as the game went to overtime.  

In the extra frame, sophomore Jondarius Warren drilled a three-pointer to give SLU their first lead of the game, 82-81. Moments later, Gordon responded with a three-pointer to give Nicholls the 84-82 advantage. Two possessions later, Okafor was fouled on a three-point attempt and he made two of three free throws to tie the game with 1:06 to go.
 
After both teams missed three-pointers on the next two possessions. Gordon drove to the rim from the wing with just seconds left and attempted to lay it up, but SLU was called for a goaltending with two seconds left as Nicholls escaped the University Center with the win. The loss was the fifth straight by SLU to Nicholls.
 
Southeastern finished the game 25-for-57 from the field for 44 percent while Nicholls was 31-for-59 (53 percent). The Lions were 25-for-33 from the free throw line while the Colonels were 16-for-25.
 
Next up, Southeastern will travel to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-14, 0-9 Southland) Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the second half of a double header following the SLU women's game vs. A&M-Corpus Christi at 5 p.m.
 
HARDWOOD CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the basketball program are encouraged to join the Hardwood Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letterwinners.  All membership fees and donations to Hardwood Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern basketball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Southeastern Basketball, follow @LionUpMBB and @DavidKieferSLU on Twitter, like /SLUathletics on Facebook and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
 
TICKETS
For ticket information, please contact the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or visit www.LionSports.net/tickets. Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary source for securing tickets for the 2020-21 season. All tickets will be available via e-mail in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.