Nov. 30, 2008
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NORMAL, Ill. -
Anatoly Bose produced season-highs in points scored (21), rebounds (10) and assists (4) to lead Nicholls (2-3) to a 67-61 victory over Winston-Salem State (0-6) Sunday afternoon in the World Vision Invitational on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
Bose's double-double was his first of the season and the second in his one-plus-year career at Nicholls. Close behind Bose in scoring for the Colonels was Ryan Bathie, who dropped in 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including a near-perfect 5-of-6 mark at the free throw line.
Winston-Salem State was led in scoring by Jamal Durham's game-high 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field.
Winston-Salem State came out firing to start the game, as the Rams took a five-point lead (10-5) at the 15:30 mark, their largest lead of the tournament at that point. WSSU's previous largest lead in the tournament was a four-point advantage it accrued in a 71-58 loss to UC-Santa Barbara in Friday's opening round of the World Vision Invitational.
Nicholls countered Winston-Salem State's run with a 7-0 scoring spree near the 10-minute mark of the first half that was highlighted by a three-pointer from Bathie, as the Colonels took the lead, 12-10. Bathie was the main offensive catalyst for Nicholls in the first half, as his eight points through the first eight minutes of the game led all scorers.
Both sides traded leads late in the first half until the Rams went on a 7-0 run to close out the period with a 32-25 lead after Nicholls tied the game at 25-25 near the two-minute mark.
Nicholls regained the lead, 35-34, early in the second half thanks to an 8-2 run that included clutch shooting by Justin Payne, who dropped in a jumper and a three-pointer during the stretch.
Bathie continued to lay on hot shooting, as his three-pointer from the top of the arc at the seven-minute mark pushed the Colonel lead to 53-47. The Colonels closed out the win on some equally hot shooting by Bose, who scored 11 points in the second half to seal his season-high for points scored.
Nicholls will be back in action at 3 p.m. CST Saturday when it plays host to Southern in Thibodaux, La. Winston-Salem State will also return to action at 3 p.m. CST Saturday when it travels to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on South Carolina State.
For more information on the World Vision Invitational, hosted by Illinois State Athletics, please visit GoRedbirds.com, the official Web site of Illinois State Athletics.
