Northwestern State trailed for most of Saturday afternoon, by as much as 17 points, absorbed multiple Texas A&M–Corpus Christi scoring runs, and still found a way to win in the final second.
Micah Thomas buried a buzzer-beating, running, one-legged 22-foot 3-pointer as time expired to lift Northwestern (5-11, 3-4) to a dramatic 79–78 Southland Conference men’s basketball victory over the Islanders on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum, completing a comeback that unfolded slowly, painfully, and then all at once.
“We were left for dead at times, and they never gave up,” head coach Rick Cabrera said. “We defended at the right time, got stops at the right time, and Micah hit a great shot. That’s the greatest feeling in basketball.”
Tonight the Demons will try to ride that momentum when UT-Rio Grande Valley visits for a 6:30 SLC game at Prather Coliseum, with the contest airing on ESPN+ and radio coverage available on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches. UTRGV (6-10, 2-5) comes to Natchitoches looking to bounce back after a 77–69 loss at East Texas A&M on Saturday.
Trailing for much of the game Saturday, the Demons clawed their way back behind improved second-half defense and timely bench production from J.C. Riley Jr. and Omar Adegbola before Thomas hit the game-winner. Thomas finished with 20 points.
Corpus Christi (8-8, 4-3) controlled the opening half, setting the tone with physical defense and efficient offense. The Islanders stretched the lead to double digits midway through the half, peaking at 17 points with 6:44 remaining, shooting 60 percent from the field and controlling the paint.
Despite the slow start, the Demons closed the half with renewed energy sparked by key contributions off the bench.
J.C. Riley Jr. and freshman C.J. Larry provided an immediate lift after checking in, helping shift momentum late in the half. Riley Jr. poured in 11 first-half points in just eight minutes, while Larry posted a team-best plus-10 rating in the opening 20 minutes.
“Being down didn’t change our mind-set,” Riley Jr. said. “We’ve been through it before. We just stayed together and kept fighting.”
After Izzy Miles opened the second half by scoring the first seven points for the Demons, A&M-Corpus Christi quickly reasserted control, pushing the lead back to 14 points at the 12:13 mark behind transition baskets and timely shooting. At that point, the Islanders appeared poised to pull away.
Instead, the game flipped.
Northwestern tightened defensively sparking a 9–0 run, fueled by stops, rebounding, and interior scoring.
The Demons continued chipping away as Corpus hit another cold spell late, going nearly four minutes without a made basket inside the final six minutes.
Northwestern capitalized with second-chance points and bench production, eventually tying the game at 69 and briefly taking its first lead since the opening minutes. The final two minutes turned chaotic.
The Islanders answered with a pair of 3-pointers by D’Avian Houston, including one with 1:52 remaining to go up 78–76. Northwestern responded with a quick bucket in the paint by Kordrick Turner, but Corpus Christi reclaimed the lead again moments later.
After a defensive stop and a turnover by Thomas, Northwestern regained possession after a free throw, trailing by two with under 10 seconds remaining and no timeouts left.
“I knew the ball was probably going to come to me,” Thomas said. “I saw the floor was crowded, tried to bait the defender, got downhill, and had to make something happen.”
His shot sealed the one-point victory and sent Prather Coliseum into a frenzy.
Miles added 17 points. Riley Jr. delivered a key lift off the bench with 13 points, helping Northwestern win the bench scoring battle 35–23.
“When J.C. plays like that, we’re hard to beat,” Thomas said. “He prepared all week, and it showed.”
The Demons shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, outscoring the Islanders 43–38 after halftime to erase the early deficit.
