Colonels use strong second-half start to rally back for 74-65 win over NAIA Mobile

A torrid shooting first half allowed the visiting University of Mobile to build a lead of as many as seven points on the way to a 37-32 halftime lead against Nicholls on Saturday afternoon on Broussard Court at Stopher Gym in Thibodaux.

At one point late in the first half, the Rams were hitting at a 60 percent clip from the field before finishing the period with a 15 of 27 performance (55.6 percent) to lead by five points at halftime.

The NAIA Rams were seeking their second win over a Division I opponent this season.

In November, Mobile defeated the University of South Alabama 83-74. Ten days later, the Colonels needed three overtimes to defeat USA 102-97.

Since Mobile is a NAIA school, games against Division I schools are considered exhibitions and don’t count against their record. They are considered regular-season games for the Division I schools.

What the Rams exhibited early was the ability to knock down shots. The Colonels (5-8) made sure that didn’t continue in the second half.

The Rams were held to 11 of 35 (32.4 percent) in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Colonels hit 14 of 25 (56 percent), from the floor in the second half while clamping down defensively early in the period to take the lead on their way to a 74-65 win.

“A lot of that was just one-on-one mano a mano,” Nicholls coach Tevon Saddler said. “I was proud of the way our guys responded. We didn’t really change anything from a schematic standpoint. It was more just more our guys taking pride in guarding the yard. That was one of the keys to the game. The first half, I thought they just put their heads down and (isolated) us and made us pay.

“To be able to come back in the second half and win the second half by 14 points, I’m really proud of their effort.”

A pair of jumpers by guard Byron Ireland, a three-point play by Diante Smith on a basket and a free throw, along with a Jamal West free throw were part of an 8-2 run by Nicholls to open the second half.

Ireland’s second jumper, which came at the 18:18 mark of the second half, put Nicholls on top 40-39 and the Colonels would never trail again.

The Colonels picked up the defensive intensity and hit a few early shots to turn around the deficit.

“Coach (Saddler) was really mad at us that we were playing no defense and getting no stops. We were getting deflections but couldn’t finish,” said Ireland, who finished with a game-high 24 points.

That changed heading into the final 20 minutes of the game.

“Going into the second half, our main goal was just finishing and getting the rebound and pushing the pace up,” said Ireland.

“The second half, we started shooting the ball with more confidence. We got more shots within our flow. We started picking up the pressure on the defensive side and made them make quicker decisions rather than seeing the court and allowed them to play comfortably,” said Smith, who finished with 20 points and team-high eight rebounds.

A layup by Ireland and a free throw by Rob Brown put Nicholls up by four. A layup by the Rams’ Joshua Williams made it a two-point game at 43-41 with 16:38 left in the game before the Colonels began to pull away.

Three free throws by Jalen White after he was fouled while shooting from distance, gave Nicholls its biggest lead of the game of 12 points at 69-57 with 4:04 left in the game.

West finished with 13 points to give Nicholls three double-figure scorers. He also had seven rebounds.

Mobile also had three double-figure scorers. Treylan Smith led the team with 19 points. DaMariee Jones and Ezra McKenna added 14 apiece for the Rams. Jones led all players with nine rebounds.

The teams traded baskets for much of the first half.

The largest lead for Nicholls in the opening half was four points at 14-10 on a basket by Oumar Koureissi.

Mobile’s biggest lead of seven points came on 3-pointer by Treylan Smith for a 37-30 edge with 2:25 left before halftime.