The Northwestern State men’s basketball team returns to Prather Coliseum on Saturday afternoon looking to turn a strong second-half performance into a full 40 minutes as the Demons host Texas A&M–Corpus Christi in Southland Conference men’s basketball action.
Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum as the second half of an SLC doubleheader that starts at 1 with a women’s contest between the schools. The games will air on ESPN+ with radio coverage available on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.
Saturday’s contest will also serve as the annual NSU basketball Fork Cancer game, presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, as the Demons support awareness in the fight against cancer.
Northwestern (4-11, 2-4) enters the matchup following a hard-fought 74–72 road loss at Nicholls on Monday. The Demons erased a nine-point halftime deficit and took multiple leads in the second half before coming up one possession short in the final seconds.
“In this conference, it’s going to come down to the last two minutes,” third-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. “It’s about who’s going to make plays on both ends of the floor. I was proud of our guys. We put ourselves in position to win, and that’s what you want, but we made some defensive mistakes that we’ve got to clean up. That’s my job — to help them fix it so it doesn’t happen again.”
Senior Micah Thomas tied his career high with 29 points, including 19 after the break, while Willie Williams added his second straight double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as NSU outscored the Colonels 41–34 in the second half.
Cabrera has seen progress defensively over the last few games, even if the results have not always followed.
“From a percentage standpoint, I’m not happy with where we are, but I have seen improvement,” Cabrera said. “Even going back to the SFA game (on Dec. 31), we were in it for most of the night. Our margin for error is very slim, and we’ve got to make it a little less slim. That starts on the defensive side, and it also means taking good shots, because a bad shot is another team’s best offense.”
Williams’ recent production has been a key factor in Northwestern’s interior presence after working his way back from an early-season injury.
“He’s been an animal on the glass,” Cabrera said. “He was playing through some pain early, but we got that eliminated, and it’s allowed him to play better. Credit to him for the way he’s rebounded the last few games, but we can’t rely on him alone. We need production from other guys too, especially from a scoring and rebounding standpoint.”
The challenge stiffens against a Texas A&M–Corpus Christi team riding a three-game winning streak. The Islanders (8-7, 4-2) most recently defeated New Orleans at home before earning road wins at UTRGV and HCU, making Prather Coliseum their third stop on a four-game road swing.
“They’re a very good ball club, a team that can win the league,” Cabrera said. “They’re physical, defensive-minded, and very strategic offensively. They get their best players the ball at the right time, and they’re deep. Their identity is being physical, and they foul a lot, so we’ve got to be ready for that.”
The Islanders are led by a balanced scoring trio of Sheldon Williams (11.6 points per game), Mason Gibson (10.8), and Nick Shogbonyo (10.6). They thrive in the open floor, ranking 35th nationally in fast-break points at 16.4 per game, second-best in the Southland Conference.
Transition defense will be a key focus for Northwestern State after Nicholls generated 14 fast-break points Monday. While the Islanders’ physicality often leads to fouls, Cabrera noted that free-throw opportunities could play into one of NSU’s strengths.
“We’ve got to get fouled and get some extra points,” Cabrera said. “They give up a lot of free throws, but we have to take advantage of it and be just as tough. We don’t want to match their toughness, we want them to match ours.”
Northwestern State will continue its homestand Monday night against UTRGV, but Cabrera’s focus remains squarely on Saturday.
“Our guys are very capable,” Cabrera said. “We’ve got to be prepared and ready to go.”
