Nicholls women unable to reach .500 in conference with narrow 80-78 loss at UNO

The Nicholls women’s basketball team trailed most of the game until a 3-pointer by Mikayla Etienne capped a seven-point run to give the Lady Colonels a one-point edge at 74-73 with 1:10 left in the game.

Nicholls was trailing by one point to open the second half when Etienne scored on a layup to put her team on top 50-49 only 20 seconds into the third quarter.

The lead lasted all of 21 seconds when UNO’s DeArica Pryor answered with a 3-pointer.

Pryor’s basket gave the Privateers a lead they would hold for most of the second half until Etienne’s third 3-pointer gave Nicholls its 74-73 lead.

This time, Pryor answered 26 seconds later, and UNO was on top again 75-74 with 40 seconds left in the game.

Lexi Alexander was fouled with 21.1 seconds left when driving to the basket. She hit both free throws to put Nicholls on top 76-75.

This time it was UNO’s Jayla Kimbrough who answered seven seconds later with a 3-pointer that gave the Privateers a 78-76 edge.

In foul trouble much of the game, Alexander picked up her fourth foul. Zoe Cooper hit two free throws to extend the UNO lead to 80-76.

Alexander scored off an offensive rebound at the buzzer as Nicholls suffered an 80-78 defeat.

The loss dropped Nicholls to 5-7 in the Southand Conference and 11-13 overall. UNO improved to 7-6 in the conference and 10-14 overall.

Nicholls had no answer for the UNO duo of Alexis Calderson and Nora Francois. Each scored 20 points, while Francois also pulled down 10 rebounds.

The Lady Colonels struggled with the length and bulk of Francois, the 6-foot-2 UNO center.

Francois play forced Alexander and Daelyn Craig into foul trouble, causing both to spend significant time on the bench. Reserve center Kate Manley also got into foul trouble.

The foul trouble not only sent the trio to the bench as the resulting free throws proved to be a major point differential in the game.

UNO was 24 of 28 from the free-throw line, while Nicholls was 6 of 8.

Also scoring in double figures for UNO were Kimbrough with 15 points, and Pryor with 14.

Britiya Curtis helped to keep Nicholls in the game, scoring 14 of her team-high 18 points in the first half. Nicholls had balanced scoring as Kyla Hamilton added 16 points, Deonna Brister 15, while Etienne and Alexander added 14 each.

Despite her time on the bench or having to play a bit conservative when in the game and in foul trouble, Alexander still managed 11 rebounds.

Alexander finished with four fouls but picked up No. 3 only moments into the second half. Craig ended up fouling out and Manley picked up three fouls in eleven minutes of action.

Nicholls trailed by as many as nine points early in the third quarter before eventually pulling to within 49-48 heading into the fourth quarter.

Immediately after Craig fouled out with 6:11 left in the game, Pryor scored on a three-point play and Calderon added two free throws to give UNO its biggest lead of the game at 10 points, 66-56.

Three players did the bulk of the scoring in the first quarter.

Curtis scored nine of Nicholls’ 14 points in the opening quarter while all of UNO’s scoring came from eight points each by Francois and Kimbrough, resulting in the Privateers holding an 18-14 edge after one period.

Nicholls scored the first five points of the initial quarter, which represented the Lady Colonels’ biggest lead of the game.

A jumper by Francois gave UNO its first lead of the game at 9-8 on the Privateers’ way to the 18-14 lead heading into the second quarter.

Baskets by Kimbrough, and Calderon on the fast break, gave UNO its biggest lead of the first half at eight points, 27-19, at the 6:15 mark of the second quarter.

A 3-pointer by Brister and a back-door-basket by Curtis off an assist by Alexander, cut the Nicholls deficit down to three points at 27-27.

Following a media timeout, UNO scored two quick baskets by Francois and Ross to rebuild the Privateer lead to eight points.

Curtis, who kept Nicholls in the game in the first half with 14 points, hit a 3-pointer at the close of the second quarter with UNO holding a 36-31 halftime lead.

Calderon had 13 points at the break for UNO. Nicholls had trouble containing Francois, who finished with 10 points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.