Could odds favor yet another overtime game for Colonels in upcoming home games?

Houston Baptist is the opponent when it all began for the Nicholls Colonels.

Trailing at one stage by as many as 15 points, the Colonels rallied to force overtime before going on to win 98-94. It was the first of four overtime games Nicholls has endured in Southland Conference play, and the fifth overall this season for Colonels.

The Colonels hit only 2 of 17 shots from 3-point range in the first half back on January 6 but trailed by only 42-37 at halftime.

Down 58-43, the Colonels went on a 23-8 run to trail 67-66 with 8:43 left in the second half. Nicholls managed to tie the game at 71-71 with 6:23 remaining in the game but never could seem to come up with the go-ahead basket.

HCU eventually rebuilt its lead to eight points before the Colonels rallied once again.

Trailing 84-81, Diante Smith knocked down a 30-footer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Smith opened the overtime period with another 3-pointer, giving the Colonels third first lead since a 14-13 edge at the 14:52 mark of the first half.

Nicholls led by as many as five points before the Huskies tied the game with 1:04 left in overtime on a free throw by Bonke Maring with 1:04 left in the game.

It came down to free throws. Smith hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to secure a 98-94 triumph to hand Tevon Saddler his first SLC win as coach.

The teams meet again at 3 p.m. Saturday in Thibodaux. Nicholls goes into the game 

5-2 in the Southland and 10-10 overall. HCU is 3-5 in the conference and 5-14 overall.

HCU has lost two in a row entering the game against the Colonels.

In the Huskies’ most recent outing, an 80-58 home loss to Southeastern Louisiana last Monday, HCU had early leads of 9-6 and 17-13 but a 17-3 run by the Lions their first double-digit advantage at 30-20. The Huskies trailed 37-29 at halftime.

A basket by Bonke Maring to open the second half allowed the Huskies to cut the deficit to six points. SLU quickly extended the advantage to 10 points as the Lions began to pull away. The Huskies trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half at 78-53 with 1:52 left in the game on their way to the 80-58 loss.

HCU goes into the game sixth in the Southland in scoring, averaging 73.1 points per game. Jay Alvarez of the Huskies in second in the league in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per contest.

The Huskies are eighth in scoring defense, allowing 78.6 points per outing, and second in rebounding, pulling down 37.5 rebounds game.

HCU features two of the top five rebounders in the league. Michael Imariagbe of HCU is fourth in the league, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game, and Maring is fifth at 7.5.

The Huskies rank fourth in field goal percentage, connecting on 46.7 percent from the field. Maring is second in the league with an average of 56.3, and Alvarez is No. 10 at .42.9.

HCU is sixth in 3-point percentage, hitting at a 35 percent clip, with Dominic Capriotti leading the league by knocking down 50 percent of his attempts.

Nicholls is third in the league in scoring, averaging 77.4 points per game. The Colonels feature three of the top 10 scorers in the league. Smith is third with an average of 17.3 points per contest. Rob Brown is sixth with an average of 16.3, and Jamal West is No. 10 at 15.3

The Colonels are seventh in the SLC in scoring defense, yielding 76.4 points per game.

Nicholls is third in rebounding, pulling down 36.9 per game. Individually, Smith ranks seven in the league, averaging 7.0 rebounds.

The Colonels are fifth in both field goal percentage and 3-point shooting. Nicholls in connecting on 45.9 percent of its shots from the field, and 35.2 percent from distance.

West is second in field goal percentage at 57.8 percent, and Brown is fifth at 46.5 percent.

Smith is second in the league in 3-point shooting, knocking down 46.5 percent of his shots.

Northwestern State goes into Monday’s game in Thibodaux at 3-5 in the SLC and 6-16 overall. The Demons have lost their last three games.

In the Demons’ most recent outing, Northwestern fell 89-65 at McNeese, which is 8-0 in the Southland and the only remaining unbeaten team in the league. The Cowboys are 19-2 overall.

At Lake Charles, the Demons scored the first eight points of the game, but the Cowboys had double-figure scoring sprees in each half for an 89-65 win that stretched McNeese’s winning streak to 14, the best in the nation.

Northwestern State is seventh in the SLC in scoring offense, averaging 72.8 points per game, and sixth in defensive, allowing 74.2 points. The Demons are fifth in the league in rebounding, pulling down an average of 34.8 boards per outing.

The Demons feature three double-figure scorers, none averaging more than 11 points per game. Karmelah Dean is averaging 11.1 points per contest, Sharna Ayres 10.8, and Jiselle Woodson 10.6. Ayres leads the team in rebounds, averaging 5.6 per game.

Northwestern is second in the league in field goal percentage, hitting on 46.9 percent of its shots. The team is third in 3-point shooting, knocking down shots from distance at a 35.7 percent clip.

Cliff Davis is fourth in the league in 3-point shooting, hitting 40 percent of his long-range shots.