NATCHITOCHES – Off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1993-94, the Northwestern State basketball team tries to focus on Saturday afternoon's 2 o'clock home game against Hannibal-LaGrange in Prather Coliseum before turning its attention to a Tuesday night visit to LSU.
 
The Demons opened their season Nov. 9 with a 118-77 rout of visiting East Texas Baptist, posting their highest point total since a 123-101 victory over Texas-Arlington on Feb. 21, 1994. Earlier this week, they built a 21-point lead and held off Campbell 71-67 for a very solid road win.
 
Anyone who brings in a non-perishable canned food item will receive a $3 discount to $4 for a general admission ticket to Saturday's game. There is no limit to the number of canned goods that can be donated to receive the discounted ticket price. The food will be donated locally.
 
Two newcomers have topped NSU in scoring so far. Redshirt freshman guard Jalan West poured in 26 points against ETBU, while junior transfer DeQuan Hicks, a 6-7 forward, had 19 points and 10 rebounds at Campbell.
 
Senior Preseason All-Southland Conference guard Shamir Davis is averaging 14.5 points, one of four Demons with double figure averages. West is at 17.5 per game, shooting 65 percent from the field and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers, while Hicks is averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds. Junior guard Gary Stewart is scoring 10.5 per game.
 
The visiting Trojans are 0-4, with their combined margin of defeat coming by 24 points, playing all but one game on the road. Hannibal-LaGrange is an NAIA Division I program located north of St. Louis in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Mo.  Saturday's game will count as an exhibition for the Trojans.
 
“We were very gratified by the great support (a crowd of 2,112) we received from our fans in our home opener, and hopefully Saturday we can give everyone in Prather Coliseum some excitement and entertainment and pick up a win,” said 14^th-year NSU head coach Mike McConathy. “We have a lot to improve upon and we have to come with the intensity and focus that reflects the fact we are a young team in terms of our development and chemistry. There's no doubt that our upcoming games before final exams are going to require us to be better than we are today.”
 
After Saturday's game, the Demons will play at LSU, Texas A&M (Nov. 26) and Oklahoma (Nov. 30) before their next homecourt appearance Dec. 4 against old rival Louisiana Tech.
 
Due to the conflict with NSU's final football game, there will be no radio broadcast or internet audio of Saturday afternoon's basketball game. Live stats and video will be available through the NSUDemons.com website.