Nicholls baseball wants more offense in SLC play
March 19, 2014
Family: Mother left siblings often; Gas stove may have ignited blaze, which killed 2
March 19, 2014
A bad start doomed the Nicholls men’s basketball team at the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas.
After winning their opening-round game against Southeastern Louisiana last Wednesday, the Colonels stumbled early in their quarterfinals tilt with rival Northwestern State, falling behind by 20 points in the first half.
Nicholls righted the ship and played soundly for the remainder of the game, but they never threatened the Demons’ lead, falling 88-72 to their in-state foe.
The loss ends the Colonels’ season with a 14-15 record. It also ends the careers of three Nicholls seniors (Dantrell Thomas, Jeremy Smith and Pedro Maciel), each of whom wanted to reach the NCAA Tournament.
“We had high expectations and the team fought through and they never lost sight of the goal, which was to win a championship,” Smith said. “All the way from the top with us, to the younger guys, they always just had a desire and a passion, and I never questioned anything from our younger guys. I just hope they continue to carry that passion and they get a ring one day.”
Nicholls’ slow start will probably have coach J.P. Piper’s mind swirling for most of the summer.
The Colonels opened the game in a zone defense, a move that Piper made to try and preserve Nicholls’ legs after a tough, hard-fought 71-64 win against Southeastern Louisiana one night before.
But instead of saving energy, the zone just dug Nicholls into a rut, as the Demons started the game red-hot from the field, burying jump shots over the top of the Colonels’ defense.
Northwestern State shot 51 percent from the field in the first half of the game, including five 3-pointers.
On the flip-side, Nicholls couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting just 12-of-33 in the first half (36 percent) and a woeful 3-of-17 (17 percent) from behind the arc, which enabled the Demons to take a 43-28 halftime lead.
Those shooting numbers flipped in the second half, and the Colonels made a surge to cut the Demons’ lead to eight. But Nicholls never was able to generate enough offense to get closer and threaten victory.
“I’m going to second-guess forever the decision to play zone in the first half,” Piper said. “I felt like two games in two days and in particular the way Northwestern plays the game, that I had to give us a chance to compete at the end of the game and be fresh. But we got clobbered in the first half, but we had a plan and we stuck with it.
“I thought we competed our tails off for 40 minutes – we really competed in the second half. You just have to tip your hat to Northwestern State.”
Smith led the Colonels in defeat with 24 points. Fellow senior Thomas pitched in 12 points, while playing just 25 minutes in the game because of foul trouble.
Thomas was limited against the Demons, but he was phenomenal in Nicholls’ Southland Conference Tournament opener against Southeastern.
In that game, the Colonels and Lions played close for most of the game with the teams heading to halftime in a 35-all tie.
But out of the lockers, Thomas and the Colonels took over the game and secured the win. The senior guard scored 27 points and added six assists to send Southeastern home for the season.
The Colonels led 52-51 with just more than five minutes to play. They closed the deal, thanks to an 8-0 run that gave Nicholls control for good.
The win was the first in six seasons for Nicholls at the Southland Conference Tournament.
Piper said it was big for the program to take a step forward and seal a Southland Conference Tournament win.
“I’m really proud of the whole game, but in particular, the second half,” Piper said following the opening-round win. “I thought we played with unbelievable passion and toughness. I thought it was a complete team effort. We got contributions from everyone from stepped on the floor today.”
“This win was a big deal for us,” Thomas added. “We knew coming in that we wanted to advance and that we were going to play our hearts out. We knew it would be a great accomplishment for us to advance to the second round of the conference tournament.
“We just laid everything on the line for it.”
But unfortunately for Nicholls, the NCAA Tournament dream ended just 24 hours later at the hands of Northwestern State, who lived to play another day.
But even with the season ending short of their goal, Piper said the 2013-14 season was a success. He added that he will miss Thomas, Maciel and Smith – players he called the lifeblood of the Colonels’ team.
“I love this group of guys, and these seniors and what they’ve meant to our program,” Piper said.
Thomas thanked the coach for his words, and added that he believes bright days are in store for the Colonels, who return a slew of contributing players from this year’s team.
“I think they learn from this, and I think they’ll lead the team to a better year next year,” Thomas said. “I think they will keep achieving more and more and accomplish every goal they want to accomplish.”
Nicholls senior standout Jeremy Smith makes a move to the basket during a game this season. Smith played his final collegiate game this week at the SLC Tournament.
