NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Northwestern State men’s basketball team returns to action this afternoon with a nationally televised Southland Conference matchup against league-leading Stephen F. Austin inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., with the game telecast airing live on CBS Sports Network. Radio coverage will be available on the Demon Sports Network, flagship station 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.
The Demons (6-13, 4-6) arrive in Nacogdoches a day later than scheduled following two postponements, starting with their scheduled Saturday home contest against East Texas A&M, because of Winter Storm Fern.
Northwestern will play for the first time in eight days. The Demons endured a challenging weekend on the road, dropping back-to-back games at UIW on Jan. 17 and Houston Christian on Jan. 19, both in the final seconds.
The loss at UIW came when Tahj Staveskie converted game-winning free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining, while HCU sealed its win two days later on a Kylin Green layup with four seconds left. The previous weekend, NSU won a pair of home games in equally dramatic style.
Despite the 0-2 road swing, the Demons’ veteran leaders delivered strong performances. Seniors Micah Thomas and Willie Williams paced the offense, with Thomas averaging 17 points per game and Williams posting 16.5 points per contest across the two outings.
Today’s contest is the second meeting between the longtime rivals this season.
Stephen F. Austin claimed a 74–64 win on New Year’s Eve afternoon at Prather Coliseum, holding Northwestern to 41 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent from 3-point range. Junior Chris Mubiru and Thomas combined for 29 points in the loss.
“They’ve been handling business,” Northwestern head coach Rick Cabrera said. “They’re very balanced on both ends of the floor, but what probably doesn’t get talked about enough is how well they defend. Their defensive numbers are really, really good.”
The Lumberjacks (17-3, 10-1) have a five-game winning streak and stand as one of just two Southland Conference teams undefeated at home, along with second-place McNeese.
SFA is led by senior guard Keon Thompson, a two-time Southland Player of the Week who averages 17.4 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.
As a team, Stephen F. Austin leads the Southland Conference in scoring offense (83.5 points per game) and 3-pointers made per game (11.0), using pace and perimeter shooting to set the tone.
“We had our moments to keep it a possession game the first time,” Cabrera said. “But they made some big-time plays and big-time shots, and we didn’t capitalize.
“It’s good to get them a second time around and try to redeem ourselves,” Cabrera said. “I think we can go into any game in this conference and win if we’re locked in defensively.”