Coach: Nicholls will open 2013 with Oregon
January 8, 2013
For the Birds: Hunting with Marshmallow
January 8, 2013
Nicholls State’s only senior helped the women’s basketball team avoid an 0-2 start in Southland Conference play.
With the Colonels in need of a victory, Nicholls trailed Oral Roberts 66-65 with less than 20 seconds to play in Saturday’s game at Stopher Gymnasium.
But senior Alisha Allen pushed the Colonels on top 67-66, calmly sinking a jumper with 9 seconds to play that put Nicholls ahead for good.
Oral Roberts had one last chance, but it was thwarted when freshman Emani White recorded a steal, which secured a 69-66 victory for Nicholls, who is now 9-4 on the season and 1-1 in league play.
Allen’s late heroics were the icing atop a near-perfect game.
The Garland, Texas native scored 18 points, pulled down nine rebounds and had five assists – while playing all 40 minutes of the game.
Allen was 9-of-13 from the field in the victory – upping her season field goal percentage to a sparkling 51 percent.
Sophomore guard Jenny Nash also pitched in 14 for the Colonels against Oral Roberts. Forward Jasmine Scott added 12 on 5-of-5 shooting.
The ball bounced Nicholls’ way in the second game of the slate. But it surely didn’t do so in the team’s Southland Conference opener against Central Arkansas.
Thanks to a 33-point and 11-rebound effort from two-time reigning Southland Conference Player of the Year Megan Herbert, Central Arkansas stormed out to an early 28-13 lead and never looked back, roaring to a 72-56 victory.
The win serves as a small slice of revenge for the Sugar Bears, who had an ax to grind with the Colonels.
Central Arkansas dominated the conference last regular season and entered the Southland Conference Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.
Once there, the Sugar Bears’ dreams at reaching the NCAA Tournament were dashed by the Colonels, who drubbed Central Arkansas in a 20-point upset.
This time, it was the Sugar Bears doing the dominating.
Herbert and teammate Courtney Duever dominated the paint for Central Arkansas. Duever matched Herbert’s lofty stats with 18 points and eight rebounds of her own.
The Colonels adjusted their game plan in the second half and played even with the Sugar Bears. But the poor star plagued them and sent the team to a 0-1 mark in the conference.
Allen scored 21 points and had eight rebounds in the loss.
As a team, the Colonels shot a respectable 42.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
But Central Arkansas outscored the Colonels 17-4 at the free-throw line, which proved to be the difference in the 16-point game.
The Nicholls women weren’t the only team to split the opening weekend of conference play.
The Colonels’ men’s team also posted a 1-1 mark in league play, scoring an 83-79 win against Central Arkansas and a 76-63 loss to Oral Roberts.
In last Thursday’s win against UCA, the Colonels rode balanced scoring to victory.
Senior Fred Hunter paced the Colonels with 19 points. Freshman T.J. Carpenter added 17 points in his Southland Conference debut.
Guards Jeremy Smith and Shane Rillieux pitched in 16 and 15 respectively.
In Saturday’s loss to Oral Roberts, the Colonels were plagued by foul trouble to Hunter.
The Nicholls senior played just 15 minutes, scoring just 3 points on 1-of-6 shooting.
The Golden Eagles took control of the game from the opening tip, starting on a 10-0 run.
They controlled the contest from the beginning with solid offense, shooting 53 percent for the game.
Warren Niles and Damen Bell-Holter paced Oral Roberts in the win. The one-two punch scored 29 and 26 points respectively. Combined, they shot 21-of-33 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
Nicholls State senior forward Alisha Allen dribbles the ball during a game last season. Allen and the Colonels got off to a 1-1 start in Southland Conference play. Allen sunk a game-winning jumper with nine seconds to play in the Colonels’ win against Oral Roberts.
