THIBODAUX, La. – Senior Josh Nzeakor scored a game-high 26 points and junior Christian Barrett added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds as Lamar University defeated Nicholls, 90-69, Wednesday evening at Stopher Gym. It marks the Cardinals' first road win in conference play this season.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of this team tonight," said LU head coach Tic Price. "We knew this was going to be a tough game. Nicholls made a lot of runs at us, but we were able to answer each one. They were undefeated at home coming into this game, and we talked before the game that they have to lose eventually so why not us. Our posts did a tremendous job of controlling the paint."
 
The Cardinals shot better than 50 percent in each half and finished the game going 31-of-57 (.544) from the field. Big Red didn't allow the Colonels to make an extended run in the second half by taking care of their opportunities at the free throw line. LU was a near perfect 21-of-22 (.955) from the stripe in the second half and 25-of-27 (.926) for the game.
 
"We get knocked for our free throw shooting, but the guys have worked really hard," said Price. "I'm not sure why what we do in practice hasn't converted into gameday results. We keep teams on their toes by getting to free throw line and we're getting better. We have to keep working at it."
 
Nicholls shot nearly 50 percent in the second half after opening the final 20 minutes 7-of-10 from the field but finished the game 26-of-63 (.413). The Colonels managed to hang tough due to 13 three-pointers, including a 5-of-11 effort from Danny Garrick who finished the night with a team-high 19 points.
 
Nzeakor and Barrett were two of five Cardinals who finished the night in double digits. Junior Jordan Hunter scored 16 points and dished out seven assists, while classmate V.J. Holmes added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Senior Nick Garth chipped in 11 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals.  
 
After Nicholls opened the game with a three-pointer, Garth followed by scoring the game's next five-points. Garth sparked a 13-0 run that came to an end when Nicholls' Rhyge Lyons got a basket at the 15:07 mark to trim LU's lead to 13-5.
 
The basket sparked a 7-0 run, but the Cardinals responded with a 5-0 run of their own to get the lead back to 10 points. Big Red opened the game knocking down 10 of its first 16 attempts to lead by as many as 15 points in the opening 20 minutes.
 
Nicholls managed to cut the Cards' lead down to three midway through the half, but LU followed with a basket from Barrett. On the ensuing possession, the Cardinals got a block from Easter and he followed with a triple on the other end. The Cardinals pushed the lead back to double digits and took a 45-32 lead into the locker room.
 
The Cardinals' offense was clicking on all cylinders in the opening 20 minutes of action. Big Red finished the half converting 19-of-34 (.559) attempts from the field and took advantage of their opportunities from the stripe (4-of-5/.800). LU also outrebound their hosts, 24-13, in the first half.
 
The Colonels were held to a 12-of-33 (.364) performance in the opening half. Nicholls was able to hang in the game due to their accuracy from three-point range converting 6-of-16 attempts in the opening half.
 
The Colonels opened the second half knocking down seven of their first 10 attempts to trim the Cardinals' lead down to six with 12:59 remaining. While the Colonels opened on fire, LU struggled to a 2-of-7 start. Nzeakor finally ended the Nicholls' run with consecutive baskets.
 
After a slow start (2-for-7) the LU offense began to heat up knocking down five of their next 10 attempts to build a 15-point advantage with 5:04 remaining (75-60). Following an offensive rebound by Nicholls, the Colonels' Daniel Regis was called for a flagrant one foul which was his fifth (the second Colonel to foul out). Junior V.J. Holmes hit 1-of-2
The Cardinals return to action Saturday when they travel to Lake Charles, La., to take on rival McNeese in the newly built H&HP Complex. The game can be heard live on Newstalk 560 KLVI.