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KATY, Texas – For some reason, McNeese State has recently shown an affinity for giving Merrell Center attendees free basketball in the opening round of the Southland Conference men’s basketball tournament, yet on Wednesday night, the Cowboys provided a double dose of extra hoops.
For the third time in the last five tournaments, McNeese State was involved in an overtime game, yet the results didn’t work out as well for the Cowboys in the previous two contests, as Nicholls outlasted them in a 94-90 contest of the white-knuckled variety, ending their season at 9-20, while the Colonels advanced to the second round against Sam Houston State on Thursday night at 7:30 pm (ESPN3).
The game marked the first double overtime game in Southland Conference Men’s Tournament play since Sam Houston State outlasted Texas-Arlington in the 2006 first round.
“That was a lot of fun, but I wish we could have done it more efficiently,” said Nicholls coach J.P. Piper, whose team improved to 11-22.
The Colonels rode a roller coaster which saw them hold a 61-46 lead with 13:18 remaining, yet struggled to contain a Cowboys team unwilling to go out quietly. McNeese State proceeded to go on a methodical 23-8 run, which culminated into a 69-69 tie when Jarren Greenwood’s 3-pointer found its mark with 2:13 remaining in regulation. The Cowboys held a 73-71 advantage when Jamya Burr hit a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left, but the Colonels forced the extra session on two Ja’Dante’ Frye freebies with 11 seconds on the clock.
Greenwood’s 3-point play with 1:47 left in overtime was enhanced by a technical foul from a departing T.J. Carpenter (team-high 22 points for Nicholls), giving McNeese a 83-79 cushion, yet the Cowboys could not hold on to the lead, as four missed free throws down the stretch gave the Colonels a second chance at tournament life, one that Frye assured them of with two clutch free throws with :07 left, as McNeese State was unable to get a shot off on the ensuing possession that led to another period.
Frye, who scored 18 of the Colonels’ 35 points off the bench, gave Nicholls the lead for good on a dunk with 1:08 left, setting the stage for Quinton Thomas’ jumper that sealed matters with 19 seconds remaining.
“We found ways to hang on and hang around and ultimately win the game,” said Piper. “It was a complete team effort.”
During the first half, Nicholls didn’t shoot like a team which would be pushed late into the night, as they shot 53 percent from the field and took a 48-37 lead into intermission. Frye capped off the stellar display of accuracy when he drilled home a 55-foot heave as the horn sounded. However, the Colonels were unable to solve the adjustments of McNeese State, which held them to 33 percent shooting in the second half.
The Cowboys’ rally was stemmed by their ability to control the offensive glass, where they out-rebounded the Colonels by a 16-8 margin. “They killed us,” said Nicholls forward Liam Thomas. “We couldn’t stop them, but we knew we had to do that to win, so we got a lucky few at the end.”
Greenwood led the Cowboys with 23 points, while Burr, who was named third-team all-conference, added 21 points and nine rebounds. McNeese State also received a huge effort from forward Austin Lewis, who had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots before fouling out in his last game with the Cowboys.
“He did a great job of defending the paint,” said Cowboys coach Dave Simmons of Lewis. “He got some big rebounds and hit some big free throws when we needed them.
“They all fought hard,” added Simmons. “We just came up short. It’s tough to swallow because you know it’s your last game of the year, especially for the seniors. It just didn’t bounce our way in the end.”
POSTGAME QUOTES:
Nicholls Head Coach J.P. Piper
On tonight’s game…
“This first thing that comes to mind is that I’m super proud of all my guys. There were several times at the end of regulations, in the first overtime and in the second overtime like we were out and there was no hope, but we kept battling and kept competing. We found ways to hang around and hang on and ultimately found a way to win the game. It was a complete team effort. Everyone who got on the floor made positive plays and contributed to the game.”
On back-and-forth game…
“If you followed us this year, we have a habit of doing that. We don’t seem to like prosperity. I don’t think my guys ever quit competing. I feel like sometimes we play better from behind or better in a tight game. McNeese made some big plays. It wasn’t a pretty and efficient game. The thing I’m most proud of is that they never quit believing in one another.”
Nicholls Junior Center Liam Thomas
On inside play in the second half
“McNeese did what we had done. They killed us in offensive rebounds and we couldn’t stop them. We’ve got to do that to win. We hit a lucky few at the end.”
Nicholls Senior Guard T.J. Carpenter
On shots falling for Nicholls in the first half…
“It goes back to what our coach tells us; the game is about runs. We made our run in the first half. They came out in the second half and made their run and we were able to finish the game on our run. “
Not being able to be on the court for the second overtime…
“I was frustrated and emotional to not be able to be in the game to help them out, but I had complete faith in all the guys to go out there and give in their all. The finished with their all and we were able to get the win.”
McNeese State Head Coach Dave Simmons
On overtime finish…
“I was hoping that tip in at the end (of the first overtime) would have been ball game because we had a couple opportunities. We had free throws, we were up three with seconds left and we shot our fouls, missed both of them. We didn’t box out our free throw and they got it back. Any one of those scenarios could have won us the basketball game but we missed some tough free throws down the stretch.”
On adjustments in the second half…
“Well our guards did a lot of switching, and you can with the type of offense that they run. We got hurt a couple times so we just stopped switching and went to guard your guy and get to the spots because we pretty much knew where they were going depending on how the cut goes. But we started playing well defensively and kept them from getting those easy shots.”
McNeese State Senior Forward Austin Lewis
On motivation in the second half…
“This game reminded me a lot of the one we had last year when we went into double overtime. I did not want the seniors to lose so I just tried to pick up that load this year to get the job done and play the game.”