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It just wasn’t meant to be for the Nicholls State University men’s basketball team.
The Colonels carried the No. 2 seed into the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas this weekend and with it, they generated two byes – straight to the Semifinals of the field.
But while getting the byes, Nicholls also had to face a red-hot Stephen F. Austin team that came into the game hot and left it even hotter, beating Nicholls 78-66 at the Merrell Center, ending the Colonels’ season with a 22-10 record.
The Colonels do have the distinction of saying they lost to the best team in the field, because the Lumberjacks took that momentum into Saturday and also beat Southeastern Louisiana to win the league and earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Nicholls coach Richie Riley said he is proud of the effort his team gave – even in an uphill battle against the eventual Southland Champs.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Riley said. “We knew that it would be. Stephen F. Austin is the flagship of our conference. Obviously, we were a little undermanned with (Tevon) Saddler out, but they have a heck of a team. They have a way of making you not play real well. They defended us at the rim without fouling better than any team we’ve played all season.”
The Lumberjacks imposed their will on the game early.
They surrendered the first points of the game, but then went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-3 lead – an advantage that they’d never surrender.
The Lumberjacks’ swarming defense stymied Nicholls’ offense and limited the Colonels to wild dribble-drives and long, contested shots.
Stephen F. Austin grew their lead to 19-7 at the 10-minute mark of the first half before Nicholls stabilized itself before the half, making a small spurt to send the game to the lockers with the Lumberjacks up 37-27.
In the second half, it got worse.
The Lumberjacks went on a spurt at the midway point of the quarter to take a 55-37 lead over Nicholls with 11:31 to go.
Nicholls never folded.
They played masterful offense for a five-minute stretch and cut Stephen F. Austin’s lead to 61-56 with 5:58 to go in regulation.
Seniors Roddy Peters and Lafayette Rutledge were big factors in that spurt and throughout the game.
Peters had 26 points, while Rutledge added 24 points with six made 3-pointers.
But it wasn’t efficient offense.
Peters, usually an offensive machine, was just 7-of-21 from the field with seven turnovers.
Rutledge made the six threes, yes. But he also had 18 attempts, as the Lumberjacks’ defense stymied and swarmed to make things difficult throughout the game.
After the hot spurt, Nicholls fell back behind, as the Lumberjacks went on the last surge of the game to send it to its final margin.
Shannon Bogues led the Lumberjacks with 27 points off the bench in the win. The Lumberjacks shot 41 free throws in the win, making 29.
The Colonels, were 25-of-33.
The loss ends one of the most successful men’s basketball seasons that Nicholls has ever had – a 20-win campaign that took the team out of mediocrity and up toward the upper echelon of the Southland.
But it was also this group’s last ride.
Nicholls is predominantly comprised of seniors and almost all of the team’s contributors – aside from freshmen Kevin Johnson and Ryghe Lyons – are leaving the program after this season.
Riley thanked Peters, Saddler, Rutledge and all of the other seniors for believing in him and transferring to Nicholls – even before Riley had ever coached a game.
It’s been really special,” Riley said. “I told my crew in there – No. 1, I told them how much I love them. These guys came and took a chance on a 33-year-old head coach who had never called his own timeout. I told them we wanted to change the program when we recruited these guys. I just now told them, ‘You did’. Not only that, but they helped a young coach learn on his way. Having a special group like that – I can’t tell you how unbelievably blessed I was to have these guys in our program and how thankful I am for what they did for our program.”
RILEY AMONG POSTSEASON WINNERS
Nicholls didn’t leave Katy with the big trophy and the NCAA Tournament bid.
But they did leave with a little hardware.
Riley was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year after his work in turning around the team.
Peters was also named Southland Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the All-Southland Conference First-Team.
Saddler was also an honoree and was named to the All-Southland Second Team.
Senior guard Jahvaughn Powell was also honored and was named a member of the All-Defensive Team in the Southland.
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