Game notes

NATCHITOCHES – Preseason Southland Confernece favorite Northwestern State continues its string of games against in-state teams by renewing an old rivalry at home Thursday night as Louisiana-Monroe visits Prather Coliseum for a 7 p.m. matchup.

The game will be broadcast by the Demon Sports Network with flagship station 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and Shreveport-Bossier City affliiate 92.1 KSYR FM. Free audio is available and so is pay-per-view video at NSUDemons.com.

Fans who bring a canned good can get in for $4.

The Demons (2-1) blew past Auburn 111-92 but fell 88-74 at LSU in games 24 hours apart last Friday and Saturday. The Warhawks (1-1) blasted visiting Samford 86-52 Monday night after an opening 80-63 loss at Kansas.

"The Auburn win was really nice but as my dad told me once, you go down the street to the coffee shop and it doesn't get you served for free. We still have to go work extremely hard, come and compete," said 15th-year Demons' coach Mike McConathy. "It's a different day, it's a different team, and what has happened has very little to do with what is about to take place."

Sophomore guard Jalan West, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week, tops five Demons with double figure scoring averages. He is getting 18 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Senior forward DeQuan Hicks is scoring 15.7 points and getting a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. Senior guard Brison White is at 15 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest while true freshman guard Zikiteran Woodley is averaging 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds while making 68 percent of his shots.

Senior guard Gary Stewart has an 11.7 scoring average and has made 7 of his 11 3-point shots, but is doubtful with a knee injury that kept him out of the final 15 minutes at LSU after he scored 23 at Auburn.

ULM is getting 16.5 points from Amos Olatayo, who had 22 against Samford, and 12 points per game by Marvin Williams. The Warhawks are shooting 47.4 percent from the floor and have only 23 turnovers in their two games.

"I'm very concerned about it because we're playing a good team, we're not where we need to be defensively, and we're not rebounding the ball," said McConathy, whose team was beaten on the boards 64-40 by LSU and 64-50 in its opening win over Division III LeTourneau.

The Demons haven't given up less than 76 points although opponents have averaged 19.7 turnovers and are hitting only 40 percent from the field, including just 26 percent on 3-pointers.

It's the second of three straight games against in-state opponents. Next Wednesday, NSU goes to Louisiana-Lafayette and has December contests against Louisiana Tech and Louisiana College.

"These games are really good for basketball. Somebody's got to lose, and surely I don't want to lose, but we all need to be playing each other," said McConathy. "These matchups stimulate interest. Fans enjoy these games because they can identify with both teams, they know alumni or students from both schools, and it's more fun."

The Demons play at home again next Saturday afternoon, Nov. 30, against Niagara in a rematch of last year's ESPN BracketBusters contest in upstate New York.