Nicholls St rolls past Abilene Christian, 79-60

Feb 27, 2014, 10:52 pm

THIBODAUX, La. -- T. J. Carpenter and Jeremy Smith combined to score 35 points to lead Nicholls State to a 79-60 win over Abilene Christian Thursday in the first meeting between the schools.

Nicholls (12-12, 9-6 Southland) snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a win over McNeese State and rolled to its second-straight victory by shooting 52 percent from the field (26 of 50) and hitting 10 of 22 shots from long range.

Carpenter was 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from behind the arc to finish with 18 points. Smith added 17 points by hitting 7 of 9 shots from the field. Dantrell Thomas added 14 points and grabbed six boards.

Abilene Christian (11-18, 2-10) is ineligible for the post season due to its transition to Division I. The Wildcats were led by Parker Wentz, who scored 20 points. Austin Cooke added another 12.