Box Score NATCHITOCHES --- Patrick Richard's 20 points and a commanding 51-33 rebounding advantage spurred red-hot McNeese State over a suddenly-struggling Northwestern State basketball team Monday night in a 70-61 Southland Conference basketball game before 2,233 at Prather Coliseum.
 
The Cowboys (13-10 overall, 9-2 in the Southland) won their sixth in a row since falling 64-61 on Jan. 21 to Northwestern at home. The Demons (14-12, 7-5) dropped their third in a row after a five-game winning streak that began with the last-second triumph at McNeese.
 
Dontae Cannon added 17 points while Rudy Turner posted 10 points and a game-best 12 rebounds. McNeese shot 46 percent overall as Northwestern made only 33 percent of its shots.
 
Shamir Davis, making 7 of 9 free throws, topped NSU with 13 points while Louis Ellis scored 10.
 
NSU senior center William Mosley blocked three shots and moved into the NCAA career top 10 in that category. He passed New Orleans Hornets' center Emeka Okafor, who had 441 at Connecticut from 2001-04; Deng Gai of Fairfield, who had 442 from 2000-05; and tied Shawn James, who swatted 443 while playing for both Northeastern and Duquesne in a career that ended in 2008. Mosley is one block away from tying Ohio State's Ken Johnson, who finished his career with 444 in 2001, and needs 10 to move into fifth place all-time, matching Georgetown great Alonzo Mourning's 453 from 1987-92.
 
The Cowboys never trailed, leading 33-25 at halftime and scoring the first six points of the second half to create a double-digit advantage they maintained until the final half-minute. The Demons fell behind by as many as 22 points at 60-38 with 7:02 to go.
 
“First, McNeese played very well,” said Demons' coach Mike McConathy. “They have the same kind of swagger and flow that we had just over a week ago. They are playing smart, tough basketball. We're trying real hard, but we're in a rough patch. I was proud of how we battled to stay in it tonight.”
 
The Demons are off until a non-conference Sears BracketBusters game at 2:30 Saturday afternoon in Prather Coliseum against Campbell. NSU's next conference game is at home Feb. 22 against Sam Houston State.