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Nicholls almost beat Georgia to open the 2016 college football season – a shocking result, given that the Bulldogs were 55-point favorites in Las Vegas.
But the Nicholls basketball team perhaps did one better on Friday night.
In the first game of the Richie Riley Era, the Colonels went into a major conference venue and walked away with a win.
The Colonels beat Boston College 79-73 on Friday night, stunning the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Golden Eagles and many others around the college basketball landscape.
Nicholls never trailed in the game and finished with efficient possessions, defensive stops and clutch free throws to seal the win – something Riley said he was most proud of from his team.
“(We’ve) had some rough seasons,” Riley told reporters after the game. “It was great to do all of the little things and get a win.”
The Colonels were flat-out better than the Golden Eagles on Friday.
Nicholls started quick in the win, using their new, fast-paced approach to roar out of the gates to take an early 12-0 lead in the first five minutes of play.
Riley started an all senior starting five in the opener, which he said was the key to the team’s early jolt of energy.
But the Colonels subs weren’t too shabby, either, helping expand the lead to as many as 18 points late in the first half.
Transfer DeAndre Harris led the Colonels with 28 points – 11 of which came in the opening half.
Senior center Liam Thomas was also key, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while registering three blocks.
“They came in and they really did things to attack us,” Boston College coach Jim Christian said. “I think credit goes to them, but our guys are disappointed, because we were practicing very well in the preseason and for some reason, we just never were able to take it into the game.”
The Colonels took a 42-33 lead into halftime – an advantage that held firm for most of the second half.
Nicholls even stretched the lead back to 14 with just nine minutes left when Jonathan Bell sunk a jumper, which put the Colonels on top 64-50.
But the Golden Eagles battled back.
In the final minutes of the game, Boston College tested Nicholls’ grit, slowly cutting the lead down with several clutch baskets.
The Golden Eagles tied the game at 69 with just more than two minutes to go on a jumper from Jerome Robinson, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
But Nicholls never buckled.
On the next possession, Harris scored a layup to go back up. After that, Nicholls closed the game on an 8-4 run to seal the team – capped by an exclamation point slam dunk by Thibodaux native and E.D. White graduate Ja’Dante Frye which put the game on ice for the team.
After the game, Nicholls’ locker room was vibrant, and Riley said he wanted the team to be loud and proud of its accomplishment – at least for one night.
He said the challenge for the team now is to find that same opening-night intensity in every game.
But for one night, at least, Nicholls shocked the college basketball globe.
And the Colonels coach said he will never forget his first game as a head coach.
“I don’t think you can draw it up any better,” Riley said with a laugh.
The Colonels will open their 2016-17 home schedule on Thursday against Mississippi College. That game will be at noon.
This week, Nicholls will also hit the road. They will take on both San Diego (Sunday) and New Mexico State (Tuesday).
Colonel ladies fall
The Nicholls women’s basketball team didn’t have the same luck the men did.
The Colonels fell 78-46 against Gonzaga on Saturday, the team’s opening game of the season.
The Colonels struggled mightily on offense in the loss, shooting just 14-of-63 from the field against the Lady Zags’ swarming defense.
Like the men, Nicholls women will also be home this week, hosting UL-Monroe (Saturday) and Jackson State (Tuesday). •
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