THIBODAUX, LOUISIANA – The University of the Incarnate Word basketball team had their three-game winning streak snapped as they dropped a Southland Conference game on the road to Nicholls, 71-60 on Monday at Stopher Gym.

The Cardinals (12-9, 7-3) struggled shooting from the field.  They shot 31.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.  Other than Shawn Johnson (New Orleans, LA/Alief Hastings HS), the Cardinals were 3-of-17 from three-point range.  Johnson led the way with 17 points and finished 5-of-7 from three-point land.

UIW led 18-14 with 9:41 remaining in the first half after a Johnson three-pointer, but the Colonels (7-18, 3-8) went on an 8-0 run sparked by a Quinton Thomas three-pointer and they would never look back.  They finished the half on a 14-3 run and took a 41-29 lead into halftime.

The Cardinals stepped up their game and defense specifically in the second half. They outscored the Colonels 31-30, but it was not enough to extend their winning streak to four games. UIW trailed by as many as 21 points overall and 13 points with just 3:26 left in the game.  A 9-2 run by the Cardinals cut the lead down to only six with 1:33 left. The Colonels then made 7-of-8 free throws to close out the game for their third win in the conference.

Derail Green (Houston/Klein Forest HS) was the only other Cardinal in double-figures with 10 points and he also added eight rebounds.

The key contributions for the Colonels came on the inside where they outscored the Cardinals, 32-12 on points in the paint and they also outscored UIW, 17-9 in points off turnovers.  T.J. Carpenter led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a 5-of-7 performance from the charity stripe.  Liam Thomas added 10 points, four assists and nine boards for the home team.  As a team, the Colonels shot 42.0 percent from the field and 41.7 from beyond the arc.  They finished 24-of-33 from the foul line while the Cardinals were 18-for-26.

The win for Nicholls evened up the season series between the Cardinals and Colonels who each won on their home court.  UIW will look to start another winning streak when they come home to host Central Arkansas on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the McDermott Center.
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