Nicholls State gets off to fast start, takes 80-56 win

THIBODAUX, La. (AP) Andre Jones had 16 points to lead five Nicholls State players in double figures as the Colonels won their seventh consecutive home game, beating McNeese State 80-56 on Wednesday night.

Dexter McClanahan added 12 points for the Colonels. D'Angelo Hunter chipped in 11, Elvis Harvey Jr. also scored 11 and Kevin Johnson had 10.

Nicholls (21-10, 15-5 Southland Conference) got off to a 25-2 start and outscored McNeese State 39-15 in the first half. The Cowboys' 15 points in the first half marked a season low.

Sha'markus Kennedy had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Cowboys (14-16, 9-10). A.J. Lawson added seven assists. Dru Kuxhausen was held scoreless after going 0 for 7 from the field despite heading into the contest as the Cowboys' second-leading scorer at 15 points per game.

The Colonels leveled the season series against the Cowboys with the win. McNeese State defeated Nicholls 80-74 on Jan. 29.

McNeese State finishes out the regular season against Lamar on the road on Saturday while Nicholls awaits the conference tournament.

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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com