Pauline Kirbo Thames
February 10, 2009
Julia H. Richard
February 12, 2009“It was a typical Southland Conference basketball contest,” Nicholls State head basketball coach J.P. Piper said as the Colonels and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders went wire-to-wire in a Saturday thriller in which the game was tied 15 times and the lead changed hands 17.
In front of a roaring student section, the two teams traded blows like a 10-round heavyweight fight.
Unfortunately, it was the Islanders who gave the final knockout blow.
With his team down 67-66 with 17 seconds remaining, senior guard Justin Payne took the ball upcourt looking for a lane. As he made a move, the ball was knocked away by Islander Demond Watt. As the ball rolled, Watt was called for a loose ball foul, sending Payne to the line for two shots.
The Colonel nailed both shots to give his team a 68-67 lead.
Seconds later, Kevin Palmer took the ball in the paint when sophomore Kellen Carter was whistled for a foul with three seconds left.
Palmer sank both free throws and the Islanders held on for the 69-68 win.
Despite the loss, Piper didn’t question the call; he said there were other things the team could have done to ensure the win.
Nicholls was only 16-23 from the free throw line (69.6 percent) and had missed several wide open layups in the second half.
“If we clean up those other things we may have gotten the victory,” the coach said. “What I told my guys in the locker room was I was thrilled with their effort, excitement and intensity on the floor. They had nothing to be discouraged or embarrassed about. That effort will get you a win more times than it will get you a loss.”
The Colonels (13-9, 6-3) were led by true freshman Fred Hunter who dominated the inside with 25 points and three rebounds.
Piper said it was nice to see the effort from Hunter, who struggled at times during the conference slate.
“He’s really coming into his own and getting comfortable on the floor. It showed. There were times when we got into league play that he wasn’t completely comfortable with some things, but I’m thrilled to be able to see him develop.”
The Colonels trailed by no more that five and also led by five at one point in the second half.
They converted 16 points of off 16 Islander turnovers but were outscored on the bench 33-6.
Earlier in the week, the Colonels earned redemption against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
Last Wednesday’s 57-50 win avenged the 55-40 loss to the Lumberjacks Nacogdoches, Texas, on Jan. 17.
In that game, sophomore Anatoly Bose scored his season-high 23 points to keep the Colonels as one of the top teams in the conference.
Piper said he looks to this week as proof that his team can compete with the top teams. Both the Jacks and the Islanders have a tradition of being Southland Conference powerhouses.
“We still have a little work to do,” Piper said. “But I told our team that I think we belong in the conversation about the top teams. We have to back that up, keep playing well. If we’re as good as we think we are then we’ll end up where we need to be.”
Piper predicts eight wins in conference will be enough to solidify a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since 2000.
With eight more games left, Piper remains confident about his team’s chances to get at least two more wins, starting tonight against Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas.
“I still think eight wins will get us in, we still have seven more opportunities to get two wins,” he explained. “I think we’ll be able to do that with seven more opportunities at home. We’re a work in progress.”
“Once we get in the tournament,” Piper added. “Anything is possible.”
