"I'm thrilled about what we got out of our guys," stated J.P. Piper, head coach of the Colonels. "Hopefully we'll continue to improve each time out. The toughness that we've had in practice and the intensity that we've had each day in the gym carried out onto the floor tonight and that led to this win."
Senior Ryan Bathie (Melton, Australia/Mowbray) and freshman Fred Hunter (Denton, Texas/Denton) each poured in 19 points to lead the Colonels. Hunter led Nicholls on the glass with six rebounds, including four on the offensive end.
Hunter went 8-for-15 from the floor, part of a team 51.7% (30-58) shooting percentage.
  Sophomore Anatoly Bose scored 11 second-half points, helping the Colonels to their second-straight win over UNO. |
Nicholls (1-0) trailed early in the opening half, falling behind by as many as eight points (10-2), before a three pointer from sophomore Dominic Friend (Geelong, Australia/St. Joseph's) put the Colonels ahead for good (22-21).
Friend and senior Justin Payne (Opelousas, La./Opelousas) each dished out four assists on the night.
The Colonels led by double digits through much of the second half, paced by Hunter, who had 10 second-half points, and sophomore Anatoly Bose (Sydney, Australia/Waverley), who poured in 11 after the break. Bose tallied 13 points, thanks in part to a 5-for-7 performance from the line.
New Orleans (0-2) pulled close near the six minute mark, using a 7-1 run to bring the score to 59-56, propelled by 22 second-half points from Darrian McKinstry. McKinstry finished with a game-high 28 points, adding five rebounds.
"There were definitely some sloppy parts for us in the game tonight," Piper noted, "but all-in-all, it was definitely a positive win. We knew McKinstry would be dangerous and, even though he got us a little more than we would have liked, I thought we did a remarkable job holding him back in the first half."
Bathie and freshman Kyle Ford (Whitehouse, Texas/Whitehouse) each sank three treys, as Ford finished with 11 points, while Bathie knocked down three blocks in the second half.
"We're excited about our freshmen and the performances they had," added Piper. "They fit into our system really well - sometimes I have to remind myself they are freshmen. They're ahead of the game and have a chance to be really special for us."
The victory is the Colonels second-straight over the Privateers after claiming a 75-60 win in New Orleans last season.
Prior to Wednesday night's game, Nicholls had not won a season opener since the 1999-00 season, when the Colonels defeated Centenary 55-52 in Stopher Gym, marking the last time Nicholls opened the season at home.
The Colonels will travel to Tulane on Saturday, facing the Green Wave for a 2 p.m. tip at Fogelman Arena (Sunday 8am AEDT).
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