Nicholls St. meets NW State in Southland semis

Northwestern State (11-17, 10-7) vs. No. 1 seed Nicholls State (17-6, 14-2)

Southland Conference Tourney Semifinals, Leonard E. Merrell Center, Katy, Texas; Friday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Nicholls State is ready to face Northwestern State with a spot in the Southland championship game up for grabs. Nicholls State won both of the regular season matchups earlier this season. The teams last met on March 1, when the Colonels shot 52.2 percent from the field while limiting Northwestern State to just 40.3 percent on the way to the 16-point victory.

TEAM LEADERSHIP: Trenton Massner is averaging 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds to lead the charge for the Demons. Jamaure Gregg is also a big contributor, accounting for 10 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The Colonels have been led by Ty Gordon, who is averaging 14.9 points.MIGHTY MASSNER: Massner has connected on 38.1 percent of the 84 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 7 of 13 over his last three games. He's also converted 64.8 percent of his foul shots this season.

WINLESS WHEN: Northwestern State is 0-8 when scoring fewer than 67 points and 11-9 when scoring at least 67.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Demons have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Colonels. Nicholls State has 48 assists on 105 field goals (45.7 percent) over its previous three games while Northwestern State has assists on 46 of 86 field goals (53.5 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: Nicholls State has committed a turnover on just 17.5 percent of its possessions this season, which is the top percentage among all Southland teams. The Colonels have turned the ball over only 13 times per game this season and just 10.7 times per game over their last three games.

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