Trends indicate tightly-contested outcome for Colonels in game at Corpus Christi

If current trends continue, the Nicholls men’s basketball team is likely to find themselves in a close overtime game when the Colonels take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels have alternated overtime games and regulation finishes through their first four games of Southland Conference play.

Nicholls (3-1 in the SLC, 8-9 overall, opened conference play with an overtime win at Houston Christian. Following a regulation victory over Southeastern Louisiana, Nicholls lost to Lamar in overtime. In the Colonels’ most recent outing, Nicholls defeated the University of New Orleans 78-75 in regulation play.

If form holds, the game will also be close.

The three Nicholls wins in conference play have been by five points or less. The loss to Lamar was a two-point affair.

Nicholls will make a Texas swing against a pair of teams off to opposite starts in Southland play.

When the Colonels play at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, they will be facing a team that also is 3-1 in conference play and 10-7 overall.

Meanwhile, UIW is off to an 0-3 start in league play and 5-11 overall. UIW, which faces conference-leading McNeese State on Saturday, is slated to host the Colonels at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Unlike Nicholls, the Islanders have some big wins to their credit. Corpus Christi defeated the University of Incarnate Word 75-65, and HCU 81-59.

Garry Clack paces the Islanders in both scoring and rebounding. Clark is averaging 13.8 points per game and 8.8 rebounds in conference play.

Three other Islanders are close behind. Dian Wright-Forde is averaging 13.5 points per contest, Jordan Roberts 12.8, and Lance-Amir Paul 10.5.

Clark ranks third in the conference in rebounding and Dayne Prim 10th at 6.0. Clark is second in the league in field goal percentage at .571.

As a team, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is fourth in the SLC in scoring, averaging 77.3 points per contest. The Islanders are seventh in field goal percentage at 38.8 percent, and eighth in 3-point percentage at 31.3.

The Colonels avoided consecutive overtime games in their most recent outing at home last Monday against UNO.

Trailing by 12 points with slightly less than nine minutes left in the game, Nicholls went to the press on defense and the Privateers had no answer.

Chipping away at the deficit, Jalen White hit a 3-pointer to put Nicholls on top by one point with 1:20 left in the game before Rob Brown drove the baseline for a basket to give the Colonels a 78-75 win.

Brown leads the Colonels in scoring in SLC, ranking fourth with an average of 18.8 points per game. Jamal West is fifth in the league at 18.0.

West leads the league in field goal percentage at .643. Brown is fourth in the SLC at .547.

Brown is fifth in 3-point percentage at .407 and Diante Smith is sixth at .400.

Byron Ireland is seventh in the Southland in rebounds, averaging 7.3 per outing, Smith is eighth at 7.0, ad West ninth at 6.5.

As a team, Nicholls ranks first in the league in scoring offense, averaging 79.5 points per game. The Colonels are second in rebounding at 38.5 per outing. Nicholls is fourth in field goal percentage at 43.8, and sixth in 3-point shooting at 33.0.

By contrast to Corpus Christi and Nicholls, UIW is 0-3 in Southland play and 5-11 overall and ranks at the bottom in most team categories in the conference.

The Cardinals are 10th in the 10-team league in scoring offense, averaging 65 points per game. They are 10th in field goal percentage at 38.8 percent.

UIW is ninth rebounding, averaging 38.8 per game, and ninth in 3-point percentage at 29.9.

The only Cardinal player to rank in the Top 10 in an individual category in the league is Joshiah Hammonds, who is seventh in 3-point percentage at .318.

Hammonds is third on the UIW squad in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game. Shon Robinson leads the team, averaging 13.0, and Sky Wicks is second at 11.3.

Robinson leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.0 rebounds per outing.