LAKE CHARLES — A tightly contested defensive battle for much of the first half slipped away from the Northwestern State men’s basketball team in the final 20 minutes as Nicholls pulled away for a 61–47 win in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Sunday night inside the Townsley Law Center.
After leading by just one point at halftime, the Colonels used a decisive run midway through the second half to create separation, outscoring the Demons 36–23 after the break to advance to tonight’s quarterfinal matchup against UT-Rio Grande Valley. NSU finished with a 10-22 season, but did make its third straight SLC Tournament appearance under coach Rick Cabrera in a season where 14 of the 22 regular-season conference games were decided in the final minute.
Sixth-seeded Nicholls (14-18) seized control with a stretch that began shortly after No. 7-seeded Northwestern pulled within two points early in the second half.
Following Landyn Jumawan’s fourth 3-pointer of the night that cut the deficit to 33–31 with just more than 16 minutes remaining, the Colonels responded with a dominant run that flipped the game.
Nicholls outscored the Demons 19–4 during a span from the 16:08 mark to 7:53, turning defensive pressure into transition opportunities and building a 52-35 advantage.
The Colonels’ interior offense played a major role in the surge. Nicholls finished with 38 points in the paint and scored 12 fast-break points, repeatedly converting turnovers and steals into easy baskets. Nicholls also recorded 15 assists on 25 made field goals and tallied 11 steals, helping create an 18-11 edge in points off turnovers.
The Demons struggled to find an offensive rhythm during the decisive stretch, missing nine of 10 field goals over a six-minute span in the second half as the Colonels steadily extended the lead.
Nicholls shot 45 percent from the field for the game compared to 29 percent for the Demons.
“Give credit to Nicholls,” Cabrera said. “They did a heck of a job defensively against us. I thought we defended well enough to win the game. We just picked the worst night to have our worst offensive night. Shots just didn’t fall.
“I told the guys the game was going to be won on the defensive end,” he said. “That means getting stops and getting points in transition. They did that in the second half and we didn’t.”
Jumawan provided an early spark for the Demons, knocking down three 3-pointers in the opening half and finishing with a team-high 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
Despite finishing even on the glass at 34 rebounds apiece and receiving 18 points from the bench, the Demons were unable to overcome Nicholls’ second-half surge.
“I wouldn’t say they out-physicaled us,” senior forward Willie Williams said. “But we gave up a lot of second-chance opportunities, and that hurt us.”
The loss also marked the final collegiate game for several Demon seniors, including Micah Thomas, Williams and Jumawan. Thomas, all-tournament last year as NSU reached the semifinals, struggled Sunday and the SLC’s fifth-leading points producer scored just four points.
“I told them I’m sorry their senior year didn’t end better,” Cabrera said. “But these guys helped us have a good year last season. They’ve meant a lot to this program.”
