THIBODAUX—McNeese women's basketball used solid defense and its ability to win the 50/50 balls here Wednesday night to pick up a 69-68 Southland Conference win over Nicholls.
 
 "I'm so proud of our girls," said head coach Kacie Cryer. "There isn't a more deserving group of girls to get a win than these. They have fought, stayed the course, believed, and stayed together through so much adversity, and learning to get a huge win over a very tough Nicholls team."
 
The victory is the first Division 1 and first Southland Conference win for McNeese (3-13, 1-4 SLC) this season.
 
"Our defense, toughness and ability to win the 50/50 balls set us up for the win tonight," Cryer said.
 
Junior Regan Bolton continued to light it up from three-point range, scoring a game high 25 points including a career high seven three-pointers. With her seven treys, Bolton moves into 10^th in McNeese career three-pointers made. Bolton ended the game going 9 of 18 from the field.
 
Junior Damilola Balogun and freshman Maddisen Martin also scored in double digits, with both players scoring 12 points apiece. The 12 points for Marin in her career high and she topped that by dishing out a career high seven assists.
 
Balogun completed her second double double of the season with a game high 13 rebounds, six offensive and seven on defense.
 
Nicholls (9-8, 3-2 SLC) scored the game's first eight points before Cryer called a 30-second timeout. The Cowgirls responded by scoring the next six points on back-to-back three's by Bolton. The Colonels took another eight-point lead in the first quarter before the Cowgirls pulled to within three and trailed 18-13 after the first stanza.
 
McNeese opened the second quarter on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 23 then took a 26-23 lead on a Martin three-pointer. The lead switched hands a few times again and the Colonels went into the half with a slim 33-32 lead.
 
Nicholls held as much as a five-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Cowgirls continued to battle and got within one point (49-48) on two free throws but a late Nicholls layup gave them a 51-48 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The lead didn't last long as Bolton knocked down another three to open the fourth period to tie it up again at 51 apiece then a Divine Tanks layup put the Cowgirls up 53-51.
 
Just like the rest of the game, the lead continued to switch hands throughout the fourth quarter and Nicholls led 68-67 with 58 seconds left following a Cassidy Barrios layup.
 
McNeese's Bre'Ashlee Jones turned the ball over with 54 seconds on the next Cowgirl possession but made up for it with a steal with 19 seconds then scored what proved to be the game winning layup with 11 seconds to give McNeese a 69-68 lead.
 
The Cowgirls picked up another steal with 4 seconds but turned it over again with 1 second that gave Nicholls the last second shot. Lauryn Bowie's last second jumper fell short as the buzzer sounded.
 
Barrios led the Colonels with a double double (20 pts., 10 rebs.) while Adrian Mann chipped in with 10 points.
 
McNeese will return home Saturday, Jan. 19 to host Southeastern Louisiana in what will be the first of six straight home games for the Cowgirls.