LAKE CHARLES, La. — No. 6 seed Nicholls pulled away in the second half to defeat No. 7 seed Northwestern State 61–47 on Sunday night in the opening round of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Basketball Championships presented by the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

The Colonels (14–18) led just 25–24 at halftime before taking control after the break, shooting 55.6 percent in the second half and outscoring the Demons 36–23 over the final 20 minutes.

Sincere Malone led Nicholls with 14 points, while Jalin Rice added 12 points. Jalik Dunkley chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds as the Colonels dominated inside with 38 points in the paint.

Nicholls built its largest lead at 17 points midway through the second half and never allowed Northwestern State to get closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

The Demons (10–22) were led by Izzy Miles with 14 points and Landyn Jumawan with 12 points.

Nicholls shot 45.5 percent from the field and held Northwestern State to just 28.6 percent shooting.

With the win, Nicholls advances to face No. 3 seed UTRGV in the quarterfinals Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Lake Charles.