Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Replay | Press Conference: NICH and ORU
KATY, Texas – Nicholls turned its opening round matchup against Oral Roberts into their own version of Throwback Thursday.
The fifth-seeded Colonels tied their own Southland Conference tournament record with 14 3-pointers has they held off the eighth-seeded Golden Eagles 77-66 at Merrell Center to advance to Friday's quarterfinal against No. 3 seed Northwestern State beginning at 11 a.m., CT.
“It was their focus,” said Colonels (17-13) coach DoBee Plaisance, who admitted she changed the team's practice routine by having them work out just 55 minutes on Wednesday. “Our mindset coming in here was all about the mental (side), and I think it's a testament to how they owned that piece and how they were able to focus and knock down those 3s.”
Nicholls tied a mark they set during an opening round upset win over Central Arkansas in the 2012 tournament.
The backcourt duo of senior K.K. Babin and sophomore Emani White combined for 11 of Nicholls' treys, combining for 42 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. It was White (24 points) who helped give the Colonels the lead for good, as she drilled a pair of treys during a 9-0 run midway in the second half while also putting the game away with a driving layup that gave them a 73-63 cushion with 2:01 left.
“A lot had to do with Emani and K.K. and their ability to control the offense and not look just for the good shot,” said Plaisance. “We looked for the great shot.”
White, a first-team All-Southland member, and Babin, who made the third-team, now feel like they are in tune with each other after spending much of the season learning how to maximize their respective talents.
“We both have the ability to influence the team,” said Babin, who finished with 18 points. “I guess the hard part was learning how to feed off each other so we can make each other better.”
Both teams thrived on runs in a very entertaining first half that saw Nicholls open with a 12-1 run in the opening 4:04 before ORU shook off its early defensive rust, as they countered with a 12-3 spurt of its own that was capped off by Noora Jaervikangas' jumper, giving the Golden Eagles a 16-15 lead at the 9:40 mark.
ORU's lead was short-lived. The Colonels again found their 3-point accuracy again, with a pair of 3s from Taylor Morrison highlighted a 10-0 run over the next 2:56 that gave them a 26-16 lead. However, the unbowed Golden Eagles responded, methodically whittling down the deficit before Tysia Manuel's layup created the game's first tie at 34-all in the closing seconds of the half before White's triple from the top of the key gave Nicholls a 37-34 margin at intermission.
The Golden Eagles used a 10-0 run early in the second half to grab a 49-46 lead, which would mark their largest lead of the day.
“I thought down the stretch we couldn't put together a defensive rebound,” ORU coach Misti Cussen said. “They did a great job of keeping possession of the ball down the stretch.”
Christian Key led the Golden Eagles (9-20) with 16 points, while Kaylan Mayberry added 15.
Postgame Quotes…
Nicholls coach DoBee Plaisance
“First of all, I would like to give a big congratulations to ORU and their entire staff and their entire women’s basketball program. They have been a class act in our conference. They came in here ready to play and it really made for a great spectators game. It was a little too close for our comfort. At the end of the day I am really proud of our players. The ability of these women to consistently battle and persevere makes me proud of each and every one of them. We had tremendous leadership out there today. I am just very proud of our women and how we persevered.”
Nicholls guard KK Babin
On looking to be aggressive offensively:
“Like coach said, once you come into the tournament you have to take it to another level. It is my last year, so I will do just about anything to help our team win and achieve our goals of getting this ring. Coach told me that we all had to step up so I knew what I had to do to help us win this game.”
On playing alongside Emani White:
“We had to learn how to feed off each other because we both are leaders and we have the ability to influence the team. The hard part was learning how to feed off each other so that we can both help each other be better. As you can tell, I think we have started to mesh in that ability.”
Nicholls guard Emani White
On playing alongside KK Babin:
“I think it was very important that we stayed in sync with one another because we are the leaders of this team. We had to make sure that everybody was where they needed to be. We had to just be aggressive at the beginning of the game and set the right tempo.”
Oral Roberts coach Misti Cussen
“Congratulations to Nicholls. They finished well today and that was our Achilles heel. It’s kind of been our Achilles heel this year. We haven’t finished not only possessions but games. I’ve got girls that play hard and I’ve got girls that come to practice and work hard even with the record the way it looks on paper. Down the stretch, we just couldn’t pull a defensive rebound. They were the better team on the floor today.”
On the resilience of the team:
“That’s this group. They don’t hit the panic button when they get behind. Then, we’ll get to the point where we make it a one possession game or tie it up or take a lead then we’ll just have a brain spasm for a second. There’s a big difference in the line quitting and not finishing and I don’t have a group that ever quits. I think that’s a credit to Christian (Key) and Sarah (Shelton) on the leadership they’ve provided us as seniors.”
On back and forth three-point battle:
“Our best defenders aren’t our best offensive players and vice versa so there’s time when we play behind we don’t have the luxury of playing our best defensive lineup. At the end, I was trying to do some back and forth offensive and defensive switching. At least two of the threes they hit today were after offensive rebounds so it was a prolonged possession.”
Oral Roberts center Sarah Shelton
Legacy you want to leave for team next season and beyond:
“Coming in, no matter what place we were coming in, play hard and not give up.”
Oral Roberts guard Christian Key
Legacy you want to leave for team next season and beyond:
“I think we just wanted to leave a toughness factor; knowing we could in it at the end of the game even if we’re down a little bit.”