Nicholls women’s basketball team falls 69-63 in overtime loss at Louisiana-Lafayette

A 3-point basket by Deonna Brister with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter gave Nicholls a 15-12 edge and a lead it would maintain until the closing moments of regulation at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon.

Nicholls would build an advantage of as much as 13 points in the game and held the lead until the final nine seconds of regulation when a 3-pointer by UL-Lafayette’s Brandi Williams tied the game 55-55.

Another free throw by Williams put the Ragin’ Cajuns up by a point until Lady Colonel Betzalys Delgado hit a three throw with three seconds remaining to force overtime.

The overtime period turned into a free-throw contest as ULL pulled out a 69-63 win to hand Nicholls its second loss of the season.

The teams traded leads in the five-minute overtime period until a free throw by Nicholls’ Ashley Malone with 1:03 remaining tied the score 63-63. It proved to be the last point the Lady Colonels would score in the game.

UL-Lafayette (2-2) scored the final six points of regulation – all on three throws. Tamera Johnson connected on two free throws and Destiny Rice sank the final four for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

ULL was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line in overtime. Nicholls (3-2) was 3 of 4 in the extra period.

Freshman Britiya Curtis, making her first career start, led Nicholls with 13 points. Kyla Hamilton added 12, Lexi Alexander 11, and Deonna Brister 10. Alexander also had 11 rebounds. Delgado finished with five points while pulling down a career-high nine rebounds to go along with six assists, and five steals.

Johnson, Rice, and Williams all scored 17 points each for ULL. Nubia Benedith chipped in 10 points. Johnson also pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.

It was not a good offensive afternoon for either team.

Nicholls was 23 of 59 from the field for 39 percent. The Lady Colonels shot 28 percent from 3-point range, knocking down only 7 of 25 attempts. Nicholls also turned the ball over 21 times.

UL-Lafayette shot 33 percent from the field on 21 of 62 shooting. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 9 of 30 from long range for 30 percent. ULL turned the ball over 20 times.

Clinging to a two-point lead at halftime, Nicholls scored the first seven points of the third quarter on a driving basket by Alexander, a jumper by Hamilton, and a Hamilton 3-pointer to take its biggest lead of the game at nine points, 32-23.

ULL went almost five minutes into the third quarter before scoring its first points of the second half on a 3-pointer by Williams that made the score 32-26.

After ULL closed to within three points at 32-29, Curtis and Hamilton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the advantage again to nine points on Nicholls’ way to a 42-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

UL-Lafayette built a lead of as many as five points in the opening quarter before Nicholls took its first lead at 11-10 on a driving layup by Delgado with 2:42 remaining in the quarter.

After ULL tied the game 12-12, Nicholls scored the final five points of the period on 3-pointer by Brister and a Delgado jumper to lead 17-12 after one quarter.

Britiya Curtis hit a 3-pointer 50 seconds into the second quarter to give Nicholls its biggest lead of the game at eight points, 20-12.

Nicholls equaled its eight-point advantage, this time at 24-16, on a jumper by Daelyn Craig with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter.

After making two 3-pointers earlier in the game, UL-Lafayette missed nine straight before Benedith connected to cut the margin to 24-19.

Just passed the midcourt line, Williams launched and connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to allow the Ragin’ Cajuns to move to within 25-23 at halftime.

Clinging to a two-point lead at halftime, Nicholls scored the first seven points of the third quarter on a driving basket by Lexi Alexander, a jumper by Kyla Hamilton, and a Hamilton 3-pointer to take its biggest lead of the game at nine points, 32-23.

ULL went almost five minutes into the third quarter before scoring its first points of the second half on a 3-pointer by Williams that made the score 32-26.

After ULL closed to within three points at 32-29, Curtis and Hamilton hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the advantage again to nine points on Nicholls’ way to a 42-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

UL-Lafayette built a lead of as many as five points in the opening quarter before Nicholls took its first lead at 11-10 on a driving layup by Betzalys Delgado with 2:42 remaining in the quarter.

After ULL tied the game 12-12, Nicholls scored the final five points of the period on 3-pointer by Deonna Brister and a Delgado jumper to lead 17-12 after one quarter.

Britiya Curtis hit a 3-pointer 50 seconds into the second quarter to give Nicholls its biggest lead of the game at eight points, 20-12.

Nicholls equaled its eight-point advantage, this time at 24-16, on a jumper by Daelyn Craig with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter.

After making two 3-pointers earlier in the game, UL-Lafayette missed nine straight before Nubia Benedith connected to cut the margin to 24-19.

Just passed the midcourt line, ULL’s Brandi Williams launched and connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to allow the Ragin’ Cajuns to move to within 25-23 at halftime.

Nicholls ended up shooting 40 percent from the field in the first half and ULL 30 percent. Both teams were off the mark from 3-point range. The Lady Colonels were 3 of 11 from long range and UL-Lafayette 4 of 13.

The Lady Colonels had 12 turnovers in the first half and ULL 11.