NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State is counting on the homecourt advantage this week as the three leaders in the Southland Conference basketball standings square off, beginning Thursday night in Prather Coliseum when Oral Roberts visits for a 7:30 showdown.
 
The Demons (14-6 overall, 8-2 in the Southland) and the Golden Eagles (14-8, 9-1) are at the top of the league standings along with Stephen F. Austin (18-2, 9-1), who hosts ORU Saturday night.  Oral Roberts rallied past NSU 80-74 on Jan. 10 in Tulsa, but was beaten on its homecourt two nights later by SFA.
 
Spicing the NSU-ORU collision is the annual Chili Cook-off, with about a dozen chefs competing for the prized paddle while fans can have all-you-can-enjoy servings for $3 between the women's and men's games in the doubleheader, which tips with the Lady Demons' contest at 5:30.
 
The nightcap is the main course. Northwestern, with four straight wins, and Oral Roberts, with six in a row, are the Southland's two hottest teams. Demons coach Mike McConathy doesn't shy away from the importance of Thursday's matchup.
 
“We've put ourselves into position where this is a huge game, looking at the standings. Everybody has eight conference games left, and a lot can happen, but as long as we win, we control our destiny,” he said. “We're playing a talented, very well-coached team that beat us earlier and is playing extremely well now, so we're looking forward to seeing if we can turn the tables on them in the rematch.”
 
There were 10 lead changes and eight ties in the first meeting, with Oral Roberts getting 25 points and 20 rebounds from senior center Damon Bell-Holter to lead four double-digit scorers. The Golden Eagles used an 11-2 run starting with 8:05 remaining to open the game's biggest lead (11), and held off the Demons in the final three minutes.
 
McConathy wants a fast tempo, befitting the Demons' nationally No. 1-ranked offense (83.8 points per game), to reverse the outcome.
 
“We have to really push the ball offensively. At times up there, we pushed it as well as we have all year, but down the stretch we weren't able to sustain it and that's to their credit. We need to get up quality shots as quickly as possible. We are averaging more possessions per game (78.2) than any team in the country, and Thursday night we need to have that pace,” he said.

Junior forward DeQuan Hicks tops NSU in scoring and rebounding (15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds), with senior guard Shamir Davis (12.8 points), senior forward James Hulbin (12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds) and redshirt freshman point guard Jalan West (11.3 points, 5.2 assists, 2.5 steals) spearheading the fast-paced offense. The Demons have a ball-hawking defense ranking 10th nationally in steals (9.7 per game) and 13th in blocks (5.5 pg).

Oral Roberts gets 19.3 points per game from senior guard Warren Niles, 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds on average from the 6-9, 245-pound Bell-Holter, and 13.5 points per contest by junior forward Shawn Glover. In league play, Niles has scored 18.8 per game while Bell-Holter is at 20.9 and Glover averages 15.5.
 
With this contest and a Saturday afternoon full-throttle contest ahead against Central Arkansas, the second-highest scoring team in the Southland, among only four remaining home games for the Demons, McConathy is excited about the support his team is getting in Prather Coliseum.
 
“We've had great home crowds. The emotion that our fans have invested is awesome, and it makes a difference to our team and to the other team. The willingness of our crowd to be involved, and have great basketball awareness to pick us up when we need that and to get excited and get on their feet when we're making plays, produces an environment in Prather Coliseum that leads to our success,” he said.
 
The Demons are 9-1 at home this season and 33-7 in Prather Coliseum over the past three years.

The game will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and including 92.1 FM KSYR in Shreveport and 99.9 KTEZ FM in Many. Free live audio is available at NSUDemons.com while a live video stream can be purchased there.