Colonels Cage Bobcats, Advance to Semifinal Round of State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament

Colonels Cage Bobcats, Advance to Semifinal Round of State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament

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KATY, Texas ? Nicholls State rallied from a halftime deficit to topple Texas State, 80-75, in the opening game of the men’s 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament Thursday at the Merrell Center. The No. 2-seeded Colonels advance to the semifinal round where they will take on the winner of the game between No. 3 Sam Houston State and No. 6 UTSA at 6:05 p.m. Friday.

In a game dominated by the officials’ whistles and foul trouble on both benches, Nicholls State needed a resurgent second half from Ryan Bathie and Co. to overtake the pesky No. 7 seed. The Bobcats spent more than 27 consecutive minutes in the lead during a span that included the opening nine minutes of the second half. But at the 10:27 mark, Chris Iles, playing for starter Justin Payne, who was in foul trouble, sank a 15-foot jumper to give his Colonels a 52-51 lead.

The lead changed hands five times before Nicholls State took the lead for good at the 7:12 mark. Anatoly Bose followed a 20-foot jump shot from Texas State’s Brent Benson with a deep triple from the wing, and the Colonels led 57-55. From that point on the fouls were plentiful, and Nicholls State took full advantage. Led by Iles’ 8-for-8 and Bose’s 10-13 performances from the charity strip, the Colonels combined to make 35-of-43 foul shots, converting seven more free throws than Texas State attempted.

Texas State never trailed by more than nine points in the second half, but after falling behind the Bobcats couldn’t get any closer than they did when it was 77-73 following a layup from Corey Jefferson.

Bose, who brought down a team-high eight rebounds, and Bathie, who was 6-of-7 from the field in the second half, led Nicholls State with 20 points each while Payne and Iles added 10 each. Brandon Bush led the Bobcats with 20 points while Benson added 15, Jefferson 11 and John Rybak 10.