NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State, bolstered by sharp shooting and celebrating four current and former players graduating on Friday, begins a two-game homestand Saturday afternoon at 2 as the Demons host Missouri Valley at Prather Coliseum.
 
Senior center William Mosley, second nationally in blocked shots and 15^th in rebounding, headed the four basketball graduates at NSU commencement Friday. Past players graduating were Dominic Knight, Charles Clark and George Ceniceros.
 
NSU (5-5) coasted to a 76-63 victory Thursday night at Louisiana-Monroe in the first of four games in seven days for the Demons. Monday night, NSU hosts Central Methodist at 7, then wraps up the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule next Thursday at Jackson against No. 18 Mississippi State.
 
Missouri Valley is 4-7. The Vikings were beaten 79-64 by the Demons last year and 77-68 in the previous season.
 
The Demons have enjoyed a surge in their shooting touch recently, and especially in the last two games. NSU was making only 39 percent overall and just 27 percent on 3-pointers in its first eight games, but in the last two has connected on 46 percent overall, including 48 percent (25-52) on 3-pointers.
 
Leading the improvement is senior guard Louis Ellis, who pumped in 19 points on six 3-point baskets at ULM. He had only one double-digit output in the first five games and was 5-for-25 on 3-pointers but has averaged 14.5 points on 50 percent overall shooting (23-46) and 44 percent (16-36) 3-point aim since, topped by his career-high total Thursday night built on 6 of 10 accuracy behind the 3-point arc.
 
Ellis has upped his season scoring average to 10.1, second behind junior guard Shamir Davis (12.7). Davis has dished out 13 assists in the last two games while NSU has suffered only 23 turnovers.
 
Mosley is averaging 4.1 blocks and 10.0 rebounds to go with 8.1 points per game.