NSU men’s hoops make Privateers walk the plank

NSU Sports Information

Nicholls dominated the University of New Orleans from start to finish as the Colonels never trailed in their 75-57 victory over the Privateers in the Human Performance Center on Saturday night.

The Colonels (2-6) were led by four double-digit scorers in the win, with junior Ryan Bathie leading the way with 18 points.

The other three included freshman Dominic Friend with 17, which was a new career-high, junior Michael Czepil with 11 and junior Gil Verner off the bench with 10.

Of Friend’s new career-high 17 points, nine of the them came from behind the arc as he finished six-of-11 from field goal range.

Czepil tied his career-high in rebounds with a game high 10 for the double-double, and had a game best tie in steals with four.

Leading the charge for the Privateers (4-1) was senior Bo McCalebb with 27 points that came on an 8-of-16 shooting performance from the floor and a 3-of-7 mark from three point territory.

McCalebb also committed a game worst eight turnovers to add to the Privateers 24 in the game that led to 26 Colonel points.

Nicholls also won the rebounding battle, 34-to-31, and outscored UNO in the paint, 34-to-18, to aid in their victory.

The win at New Orleans marked only the second time in the last three seasons that Nicholls won a non-conference game on the road.

The last time came at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 25, 2005 when the Colonels won 71-69. It also marked the first time that Nicholls had defeated UNO on their home floor since jumping to the Division I ranks in the 1980-81 season, and it was the first time since the 1984-85 campaign that Nicholls had beaten UNO. In that non-conference bout, Nicholls won 71-66 in David R. Stopher Gym.

In the first half, Nicholls started off the contest on a 6-2 run, in which four of those points were scored by Bathie.

The Privateers cut into the lead before halftime, making the contest a six-point game twice, but Nicholls stayed strong as they went into the locker room nursing an 11-point, 31-20, lead at the break.

Of Friend’s 17 points,13 of them came in the first half.

Nicholls, who had only led at the halfway point in two other games so far this season, came out in the second stanza and played to their own tune just like they did in the first. The Privateers climbed back into the game and made it a 53-44 contest at the 6:03 mark.

Then Friend sank a three-ball, and senior Adonis Gray, who got in foul trouble and was limited in action, scored four straight points to give the Colonels the 60-44 lead at the 4:36 mark.

Of Gray’s four consecutive points, two of them came at the charity stripe via an intentional foul called on the Privateers’ Shaun Reynolds.

Nicholls extended its lead to as many as 18-points, 67-49, at the 2:22 mark of the game before the final buzzer went off with the Colonels on top.

The Colonels will be back in action at Alabama on Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. to end their non-conference, seven-game road swing.

The Crimson Tide (4-2) beat Southeastern La. 63-61 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last week but had to do it in overtime.