Nicholls' Bose Tops 2,000 Career Points in OT Win over Northwestern State
Nicholls 83, Northwestern State 81 (OT)
THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls senior forward Anatoly Bose entered Wednesday's crucial Southland Conference matchup against Northwestern State needing 20 points to become just the third Colonel ever to reach the 2,000 career point mark.
He wound up pouring in 30, including nine points in overtime that saw the Sydney, Australia, native complete a four-point play and sink a free throw with two seconds left in the extra period to lead Nicholls to a thrilling 83-81 overtime victory over Northwestern State on Wednesday night in Stopher Gym.
The Colonels (14-12, 8-7 Southland) entered the game in a four-way tie for the sixth of eight spots in the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament with two regular season games left. A win over the in-state rival Demons improves Nicholls chances of clinching its third consecutive postseason tournament appearance, tying a school record set from 1998 through 2001.
Bose recorded his 2,000th career point midway through the second half, sinking three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt. However, the Demons would not go away quietly as Northwestern rallied down the stretch to tie the contest at 71-71 at the end of regulation and send it to extra time.
The Demons (17-13, 9-6 Southland) went up 80-78 with 36 seconds left in overtime on a free throw by Dominic Knight. The Colonels worked down the clock before Bose sank a 3-pointer, his only one of the night, from the top of the key while drawing a foul from the Demons' Will Pratt. Bose sank the free throw to put Nicholls up 82-80 with 12 seconds left. However, Northwestern State drew a foul on the next trip up the floor, but Devon Baker missed his first foul shot before sinking his second attempt to make it 82-81.
The Colonels responded on the other end as Bose drew a foul with two seconds left, sank the first free throw and missed the second. The Demons' half court desperation shot rattled off the backboard to give the Colonels the win.
Bose joins former Colonels Larry Wilson (2,569 points from 1975-79) and Reggie Jackson (2,124 points from 1992-95) as the only players in school history to reach the 2,000 career point mark.
Southeastern Louisiana 81, McNeese State 74
LAKE CHARLES, La. - True freshman Jeremy Campbell scored a season-high eight points, including the eventual go-ahead bucket with 6:53 remaining, as Southeastern Louisiana fought off a McNeese State rally and defeated the Cowboys, 81-74, in a Southland Conference basketball game Wednesday at Burton Coliseum.
David Ndoumba scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, while Brandon Fortenberry added 24 to lead Southeastern (14-13, 8-7 Southland) to its second straight win while sending McNeese State (18-10, 10-5 Southland) to its first loss at home in 15 games in 2010-11.
The win by Southeastern inched the Lions closer to their eighth straight berth in the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament that begins March 9 in Katy, Texas. Southeastern closes out the regular season on Saturday in the University Center against arch-rival Nicholls (14-12, 8-7 Southland) in a noon tipoff that will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network.
Southeastern led 35-28 at halftime and pushed its lead to 43-30 on a layup by Fortenberry with 17:46 remaining. McNeese State rallied as it went on an 18-4 run and held Southeastern without a field goal for nearly six minutes that turned a 48-37 deficit into a 55-52 lead on a bucket by C.J. Collins with 9:52 remaining.
A bucket by P.J. Alawoya gave the Cowboys a 59-56 lead with 8:11 to play, but Southeastern put the game away with a 14-2 run over the next 5:27.
Campbell, averaging 1.2 points and six minutes per game, made his first bucket with 8:34 remaining in the game that got Southeastern to within 57-56.
After a layup by Alawoya countered with a dunk by Ndoumba, Campbell scored off a steal that gave Southeastern a 60-59 lead it would not relinquish. Campbell, who finished 3-for-3 from the floor in 10 minutes of action, added his final bucket with 4:18 left for a 67-61 lead before sinking a pair of free throws with 21.9 seconds left to help seal the win.
Trent Hutchin added 10 points for Southeastern while Gary Dixon added eight. The Lions shot 26-for-57 from the floor and were 24-for-29 from the free throw line.
Patrick Richard led McNeese State with 21 points while Alawoya added 14 points and 18 rebounds. Collins added 17 points for the East Division-leading Cowboys, who missed a chance to clinch at least a share of the overall title after West Division leader Texas State fell at Lamar, 113-102.
Lamar 113, Texas State 102
BEAUMONT - Lamar sent its two seniors out on a high note as the Cardinals' offense clicked on all cylinders in a huge 113-102 Southland Conference basketball victory over West Division leader Texas State on Wednesday night.
The victory improved the Cardinals' conference record to 7-8 and keeps their hopes alive for securing one of the eight spots into the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament. Lamar will close out the regular season on Saturday at McNeese State in a must-win situation.
"I thought it was a very important thing for us to send the seniors out with a win," Lamar coach Steve Roccaforte said. "We honored them before the game and then they played such a big part in this game."
Coy Custer and Kendrick Harris enjoyed big games in their final contest in the Montagne Center. Custer, a fifth-year senior from League City, finished with six points and five rebounds before fouling out with 16 seconds left in the game.
Harris, who transferred to Lamar from Los Angeles Southwest College, played one of his best games as a Cardinal. The 6-foot guard scored 13 points off the bench and dished out a career-high 12 assists, one off the Montagne Center record set by Atiim Browne in 1993.
"I thought Harris was terrific," Roccaforte said. "He had been having some problems with turnovers but he did a terrific job of pushing the ball up the court and distributing it tonight. In my opinion it was the best game he's played in his Lamar career."
Lamar shot 51.3 percent from the floor in the game, including 8-of-13 aim from 3-point range in the first half. Junior Mike James hit all four of his 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes as Lamar built a 54-46 halftime lead.
In the second half, Brandon Davis carried much of the offensive load as Lamar's lead ballooned to 25 points with 14:15 on the clock. Davis finished with six treys in the contest and matched his season-high with 22 points.
"We had some other players come back from the dead tonight including Brandon Davis," Roccaforte said. "He's been in a shooting slump for a while because he's had a jammed middle finger on his shooting hand. He told me earlier in the week that it was felling better and he showed me tonight that it was really feeling better."
Texas State, which fell to 15-14 overall and 10-5 in Southland play, went on a furious run to cut the 25-point deficit all the way down to four with 2:08 to play in the game. James stopped the bleeding with 1:32 to play by knocking down a jumper that gave Lamar a 103-97 lead.
Lamar would put the game on ice from that point by knocking down its free throws. Other than a pair of Custer misses with 43 seconds on the clock, Lamar would make 8-of-8 free throws in the final minute to pull out the win.
Despite the frenetic pace of the game, Lamar committed just 14 turnovers while scoring 25 points on 19 Texas State turnovers. The Bobcats did outrebound Lamar 48-40, but were just 6-of-22 from long range and 16-of-23 from the free throw line.
James finished with 30 of Lamar's 77 bench points to lead all scorers. He was an efficient 11-of-16 from the field and made all four of his free throws.
Junior Anthony Miles scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Miles has now made 27 straight free throws, including several clutch shots in late game moments.
Tony Bishop led the Bobcat offense, finishing with a career-high 27 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Ryan White and Matt Staff each scored 16 for Texas State, as well.
Sam Houston State 50, Stephen F. Austin 40
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - In a classic grind between two Southland Conference rivals, Sam Houston State dominated the paint in a 55-40 win over SFA on Wednesday night in Nacogdoches.
The Bearkats outscored the Lumberjacks 34-16 in the paint with Gilberto Clavell leading the way with 17 points. The Bearkats also dominated the boards outrebounding SFA 34-19.
"That was one of our goals tonight was winning the rebounding game," Sam Houston coach Jason Hooten said. "I am really proud of the guys tonight. They came out and executed the way we wanted."
From the opening tip, the Bearkats were very active on the defensive side of the ball. SFA didn't score its first points of the game until the 13:04 mark and they finished the first have with just 14 points on 33 percent shooting.
The Bearkats gained some momentum at the end of the first half when Lance Pevehouse hit a fall-away jumper at the buzzer to give the Bearkats a 26-14 lead after 20 minutes of play. The Lumberjacks didn't get to 20 points on the scoreboard until 16 minutes left to play in the game.
The Bearkats didn't shoot particularly well from long range, hitting just 2-of-18, but they shot 52 percent from the floor, going 24-of-32 from inside the arch.
The win puts the Bearkats in the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament, which starts next week in Katy. The Bearkats will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at home against Texas State.
UTSA 70, Central Arkansas 58
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Sophomore Melvin Johnson III scored 20 points and senior Devin Gibson added 18 in his home finale to help lead UTSA to a 70-58 victory over Central Arkansas on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
The Roadrunners, 15-13 overall, stayed alive for one of the eight spots in the 2011 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament by running their league record to 8-7, moving into a three-way tie for sixth with Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana. The Bears fell to 5-23 and 1-14.
It was a wild night around the league, as co-leaders McNeese State and Texas State both lost to fall to 10-5. Sam Houston State helped create a three-way tie for third at 9-6 by defeating Stephen F. Austin, which fell to 9-6 along with Northwestern State, an overtime loser to Nicholls. UT Arlington dropped to 7-8 after a loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but UTSA still likely faces a must-win Saturday against the Mavericks to get into the tournament.
Johnson drained 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and was 6-for-11 from the floor overall and 4-of-4 at the free-throw line in posting his second straight 20-point game and sixth of the season.
Gibson, who left the game after a blow to the head early in the first half and had to change from his No. 21 to the No. 10 jersey due to blood, was 5-of-10 from the field and added a team-high eight rebounds to go along with five assists and three steals.
Junior Stephen Franklin joined that duo in double figures with 15 points and six boards.
The Roadrunners led by as many as 14 points, but had to withstand a couple of UCA rallies in the second half to close out their third straight 11-3 home slate.
UTSA held a six-point lead at the half and opened the second on an 11-3 run keyed by treys from Johnson III and Franklin to push the lead to 44-30 with 16:48 on the clock.
The Bears answered with a 12-2 stretch to get to within two possessions. Imad Qahwash drained a trey from the wing and Ryan Williams hit one of two at the line to pull UCA to within 46-42 with 12:28 to play.
Gibson connected from long distance to give UTSA a 58-48 lead four minutes later, but UCA responded with back-to-back layups from Mark Rutledge to pull to within six.
Franklin found the range from downtown again and Gibson drained a jumper to push the advantage back to 11. Rutledge then made one of two at the line and slammed one home with less than two minutes remaining to help the Bears get back to within seven, but UTSA held on from there by making three of four at the charity stripe and used a pair of late baskets from Johnson to seal the win.
Ryan Williams led UCA with 19 points and Rutledge added 15. Tadre Sheppard pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. The Bears struggled from the floor and the free-throw line, shooting just 32.2 percent overall - including 1-of-15 from beyond the arc - and 54.3 percent (19-35) at the line.
UTSA held a 33-27 halftime lead, despite shooting just 34.5 percent against the Bears' zone defense. UCA attempted 24 free throws in the first half, but made just 11 and shot only 27.6 percent from the floor overall, 0-9 from downtown.
Dewan Clayborn was whistled for a foul at the 16:04 mark of the first half after a hand to the face struck Gibson above the left eye. The play was reviewed by the officials, causing a delay of approximately 15 minutes, and it was determined that the foul was flagrant, which resulted in the ejection of Clayborn.
Franklin had five early points to help UTSA get out to a 13-3 lead. Meanwhile, UCA missed its first eight shot attempts from the field and had just three free throws before Terry Tidwell found the bottom of the net on a layup at the 13:05 mark to end the drought.
The Roadrunners will conclude the regular season on the road against UT Arlington Saturday at 7 p.m.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 95, UT Arlington 83
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - In their final home game, the four members of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi senior class combined for 60 points in a 95-83 victory over UT Arlington on Wednesday night. Justin Reynolds scored a career-high 26 points and had 10 boards in the victory.
Along with Reynolds' 26, Demond Watt added 14 and Antonio Topps had 12 to lead five players in double figures. Garland Judkins had 14 points and Terence Jones added a double-double with 10 points and a career-best 10 assists for the Islanders. Senior Horace Bond added eight points before fouling out late in the contest. LaMarcus Reed had 27 in a losing effort for the Mavericks.
Early on, Justin Reynolds made back-to-back threes, giving the Islanders an early 6-3 lead over the Mavericks. Reynolds also scored eight of the team's first 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the first five minutes of the game.
Trailing by as many as four at the 13:49 mark, the Islanders took a five-point lead with 3s by Jones and Judkins putting the home team up 25-20 with under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. A&M-Corpus Christi was firing on all cylinders, hitting 58 percent from the field early in the contest.
The Islanders led by as many as 14 points behind Reynolds and Judkins knocking down consecutive shots late in the first half. Reed poured in a three pointer for UTA as time expired in the half to make the score 41-30 in favor of A&M-Corpus Christi.
Early in the second half, UTA trimmed the lead to nine points at 48-39 after a Jordan Reves jumper, but the Islanders then went on a 16-4 run to balloon the lead to 21, as Topps hit consecutive threes to cap off the rally. After UTA cut into the deficit, Jawan Nelson hit a running hook in the lane with 8:15 left growing the lead to 73-53.
UTA slowly chipped away at the Islanders' advantage, pulling to within 13 at 86-73 at 3:44. But the Islanders were able to hit their free throws down the stretch and pushed the final score to 95-83. The 95 points were the highest for the Islanders since scoring 98 against Northwestern State on Jan. 16, 2010.
The Islanders are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Conway, Ark., for a matchup with Central Arkansas. Tipoff in the season finale is set for 4 p.m.