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First-year coach Richie Riley is changing the culture of the Nicholls men’s basketball program, and a lot of that transformation centers around an ideology that the Colonels will play fast and attack opponents on every inch of the floor.

But after seeing an injury bug bite the Colonels locker room and watching as a couple other players left the program mid-season, Riley and the Colonels are low on bodies and are having to find ways to win games at sometimes varying tempos.

The Colonels are adjusting to a depth chart that’s not nearly as deep as it was at the beginning of the season – a lineup that only features nine healthy bodies in most games.

Despite the small numbers, the Colonels found a way to power through this past week, posting a 1-1 record, including a hard-fought, 62-59, victory over Abilene Christian, which marked the team’s 10th win of the season.

Riley said after the win that it was a great effort from his team. The coach thanked Nicholls students and community for packing Stopher Gymnasium and creating an environment that allowed the Colonels to push through late in the game.

“If there’s nobody in here, I don’t know if we have enough juice left in us – for Ja’Dante’ Frye to get that rebound at the end (of the game) or for Liam Thomas to block a couple of those shots. We’re playing so many minutes because we’re short-handed. We don’t win the game without our crowd.”

The Colonels also got an outstanding defensive effort, as well.

Without leading scorer Deandre Harris, who was dismissed from Nicholls team last week after violating team rules, and with several contributing players out with lingering injuries, the Colonels have several points per game out of their lineup at press-time.

And it showed against Abilene Christian. The Colonels shot just above 40 percent from the field for the game, while turning over the ball 16 times.

But the game flipped defensively – especially in the final minutes.

The Colonels swarmed Abilene Christian with tight defense, limiting the conference foe to just 27 points in the second half.

When Abilene Christian got penetration, rim protector Liam Thomas served as Nicholls’ anchor, blocking nine shots away, including several key ones late in the game.

The Colonels trailed for a lot of the game, but Thomas’ ejections went a long way in the team taking control in the final minutes.

“We were down early and he blocked five or six shots,” Riley said. “Liam saves us a lot. We need to quit putting him in those positions and guard the paint a little better.”

Down 3 with 10 seconds left, Abilene Christian had two possessions with a chance to tie, missing contested 3-pointers on each, which sealed Nicholls’ place in the win column.

Riley said it was one of the better wins he’s had in his career, because it showed the character his team has.

“We have a resilient group of guys,” Riley said. “No matter what’s been thrown at them all year, whether it’s adversity on the road or adversity in travel or adversity at home when things don’t go your way at home and you don’t get an easy win and you have to gut it out. I just gave all of the credit to our team. We have a resilient group of kids that have been through a lot at every turn this year, and we keep bouncing back.”

Riley also hopes the next games at Stopher Gym will be as packed as last Thursday night’s game was.

That game was the “Pack Stopher” game – always one of the most well-attended games of the season.

Two days later, the Colonels played Lamar at home, and the crowd was nice, but it wasn’t nearly as big as it was on Thursday.

Riley spoke directly to the Colonels fans and asked them to give support for the final home games of the season.

Nicholls will play Houston Baptist in Texas on Thursday, but they’ll be home on Saturday for a date with McNeese.

“This crowd is why we finished the game,” Riley said. “Please come back! We went over and we thanked everybody, and they are what gave us the juice to finish the game off.”

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COLONELS LADIES SCORE WIN

Nicholls coach DoBee Plaisance was not happy on Wednesday when her Colonels blew a 39-38 halftime lead and lost badly to Abilene Christian in Thibodaux.

Just a few days later, the ladies gave one of their most spirited efforts of the season and knocked off one of the best teams in the Southland Conference by double-digits.

The Colonels beat Lamar 78-67 on Saturday afternoon, using balanced scoring to power a strong, 40-minute performance.

Five Colonels scored double figures in the win, led by Tykeria Williams, who had 19.