NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Senior Roddy Peters tallied a game-high 25 points but the Nicholls State University men’s basketball team committed a season-high 23 turnovers while dropping an 81-64 decision to Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night at Johnson Coliseum.

The Colonels’ (8-8 overall, 2-1 in Southland Conference) first field goal came at 14:23, later falling behind 36-20 at the 5:01 mark in the opening half as the Lumberjacks (12-3, 1-1 SLC) converted three six-point spurts and forced seven Nicholls turnovers.

The Colonels would respond by scoring 11 of the final 15, closing with a 3-pointer at the buzzer by freshman Kevin Johnson to make it 40-31 at the break.

SFA countered with an 11-2 run to open the second half, getting back-to-back threes from Ivan Canete to eventually increase its lead to 20 at 53-33. Despite 16 second-half points from Peters, Nicholls was unable to overcome the deficit.

The Colonels shot 38 percent from the field, including a 5-23 effort from 3-point range. Senior Tevon Saddler added 17 points and seven rebounds. Nicholls was outscored 46-28 in the paint and 28-14 off of turnovers.

The Lumberjacks boasted five double-digit scorers, including Canete’s team-high 17. TJ Holyfield contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double.

The Colonels travel to face Houston Baptist Saturday at 3 p.m. before returning to Stopher Gym for a three-game home stretch.

Get your season or single game tickets now by calling 985-448-4790 or visiting nichollstickets.com. To stay up to date with Nicholls men’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_MBB.