HOUSTON — The Northwestern State men’s basketball team visits Houston Christian tonight with another chance to do what it has made a habit of doing for years: survive, respond, and fight deep into games that feel a lot like March.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at HCU’s Sharp Gymnasium on ESPN+, with radio coverage available on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.
Northwestern (6-12, 4-5) enters the matchup against the Huskies coming off a gut-punch 76–74 loss at UIW. The Demons surrendered a 13-point second-half lead to a Cardinals team that remained undefeated in nine home games.
NSU’s Izzy Miles was ruled to have fouled UIW’s Tahj Staveskie as he drove the lane on a final attempt at the buzzer, sending Staveskie to the free-throw line, where he sealed the Cardinals’ game-winning victory.
UIW shot 50 percent in the second half and connected on seven of its final nine attempts.
Despite the result, Northwestern showed plenty of bite.
Willie Williams delivered a career-high 18 points with nine rebounds, Miles poured in a game-high 20, and Micah Thomas followed with 17.
HCU (6-12, 2-7) enters the contest coming off an 81–70 win against East Texas, snapping an eight-game losing streak.
While the Huskies’ record may not jump off the page, Northwestern head coach Rick Cabrera made it clear that means little in the Southland.
“They’re competitive in every game, and they can beat any team in this league. They’ve had some bad luck lately, but the tides can turn on any given weekend,” said Cabrera.
The setting only adds to the test.
“That gym (capacity 1,000) is a great home court for them,” Cabrera said. “It’s small, it gets loud, especially on a Monday night. We’ll be locked in and prepared. We don’t want to be the team that gives them momentum.”
