NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State shared the workload and got the job done Wednesday afternoon, posting a 94-68 homecourt win over Louisiana College as the Demons' Zeek Woodley retained the NCAA scoring lead and teammate Jalan West maintained his grip on the national lead in assists.
 
Woodley scored a team-high 20 points in 24 minutes, the same amount of time West used to post nine assists along with 11 points. Woodey's average dipped from 23.1 to 22.8 per game, slipping him into a tie for No. 1 with Eastern Washington's Tyler Harvey. West edged his assist average slightly up to 8.45, almost an assist better than any other player in NCAA Division I.
 
The Demons (5-6) never trailed while winning for the second time in three games, with the loss 100-92 at Arkansas last Sunday. Wednesday, NSU had 10 players getting at least 16 minutes and scoring at least two points, with five in double figures. Along with Woodley and West, Marvin Frazier scored 13 points, Ta'Jon Welcome had 10 and so did Tra'von Joseph.
 
The NCAA Division III Wildcats (3-4) absorbed their second defeat to a Division I opponent this season despite game-best totals of 23 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Gaines Jr., who also blocked four shots. The game took place 100 years since the first contest between the nearby schools in basketball.
 
For only the third time this season, NSU won the rebounding battle, posting a 52-37 advantage as sophomore guard Sabri Thompson snagged a career-high eight and senior center Ryan King matched his career best with eight. King, playing for the first time this season after October finger surgery, narrowly missed a double-double as he scored nine points and added two blocked shots. Seven of his rebounds were offensive.
 
Freshman guard Devonte Hall had a career-best four assists. Joseph, a sophomore swingman, matched his career scoring high.
 
NSU opened a 17-7 lead, withstood an LC surge within 25-19 and got a dunk from Joseph and a putback basket by Woodley to regain control. A 3-pointer by Tony Dobbinson, a junior college transfer who scored a season-best eight, with 4:57 to go put the Demons up by double digits for good.
 
After holding a 51-35 halftime advantage, NSU went up by 20 for the first time on a Dobbinson basket with 14:44 remaining. The Wildcats never got closer than 17 afterward. The final margin was the biggest of the day as 1,133 watched in Prather Coliseum.
 
"We got what we needed, a win, against a Gene Rushing-coached team that has some very fine basketball players," said Demons' coach Mike McConathy. "We knew it would take good work. We weren't as good as we were at Arkansas but because we rebounded so well, and our guards did especially well in that area, we managed to keep the upper hand.
 
"Now we play our Southland Conference season and hopefully we can continue to improve in the coming days and over the next three months," he said.
 
NSU plays its league opener Saturday night at 7 at Houston Baptist, visits Sam Houston State Monday night at 8, and is home again on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10 against Incarnate Word, which scored an impressive win at Nebraska earlier this season.