THIBODAUX, La. (Interstat) — The Nicholls State Colonels used a dominant defensive performance and a game-high 21 points from Marie Kenembeni to cruise past the Houston Christian Huskies 70-47 in a Southland Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Stopher Gym.

A crowd of 575 watched the Colonels improve to 5-4 overall, while the Huskies fell to 4-5.

The most important part of the game was a decisive second-quarter surge by Nicholls State that turned a competitive contest into a commanding lead. After a first quarter that ended with the Colonels leading 20-15, the Nicholls defense completely stifled Houston Christian in the second period. The Huskies managed only four points in the quarter, suffering through scoring droughts and committing a series of turnovers that the Colonels converted into easy transition opportunities.

Nicholls State outscored Houston Christian 18-4 in the period, building a 38-19 halftime lead from which the Huskies never recovered. The Colonels’ defensive pressure was relentless, generating steals and disrupting Houston Christian’s offensive flow throughout the quarter. This stretch effectively decided the game’s outcome, as the Huskies could not mount a significant challenge in the second half, never cutting the deficit below 15 points.

Kenembeni, a 6-foot-2 junior from Yaounde, Cameroon, anchored the Colonels’ effort, adding three blocked shots in 29 minutes. She was complemented by backcourt duo Tanita Swift and Jesslynn Jalomo, who each scored 14 points. Swift, from Birmingham, Alabama, also contributed five assists and five steals, while Jalomo, of Laredo, Texas, dished out two assists.

Houston Christian was led by Grace Booth’s 11 points. The 5-10 guard from Glen Rose, Texas, was the only Huskies player to reach double figures. Jordan Jackson added eight points.

Nicholls State shot efficiently from the field, while Houston Christian struggled with its shooting and ball security throughout the contest. The Colonels also controlled the interior, outrebounding the Huskies and converting second-chance opportunities.

The game was a bounce-back for Nicholls State, which had suffered a narrow 54-52 home loss to Incarnate Word in its previous outing. Houston Christian entered the game coming off a double-overtime conference win against Southeastern Louisiana but could not replicate that momentum on the road.

According to Interstat’s ELO system, Nicholls State was projected with an 87.20 percent probability to win.

Nicholls State travels to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 29. Houston Christian visits Rice on Saturday.