THIBODAUX, La. (AP) Deandre Harris scored a career-high 42 points, including a clutch 3-point play with 37 seconds left, and Nicholls held on to defeat Incarnate Word 94-84 in the Southland Conference opener on Saturday.
Incarnate Word cut a 19-point deficit with 8:10 remaining to 84-80 on Jalin Hart's layup with less than a minute to go. After Ja'Dante' Frye made one of two free throws for the Colonels, the Cardinals turned the ball over.
Harris was fouled and missed both free throws but he grabbed the rebound on the second miss and turned that into a 3-point play for an 88-80 lead at 37 seconds.
Shawn Johnson hit a 3 but Nicholls made 6 of 8 free throws in the final 28 seconds to pull it out.
Frye finished with 23 points for Nicholls (8-6), which won its fifth home game but first against a D-I opponent. Harris had 35 points against Spring Hill on Wednesday.
Hart had 23 points and Simi Socks 22 for the Cardinals (5-7), who were outscored by 22 at the free throw line as they hit just 10 of 21.
Copyright 2017 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.