MONROE – Northwestern State takes on another longtime north Louisiana rival Tuesday night, this time facing one of the country's better defensive teams while the Demons hope to improve their own defensive performance in a 7 p.m. visit to Fant-Ewing Coliseum to meet UL-Monroe.
 
The Demons (3-4) will play for the first time in a week, falling 99-88 to Louisiana Tech at home last Tuesday. The Warhawks (3-3) won for the first time in four games Saturday night, cruising past Louisiana College 83-55. Their first loss was their most impressive outing, a 61-56 overtime defeat at No. 8 Florida.
 
NSU brings the country's top-ranked point guard, junior Jalan West, who leads the country in assists (8.7 average) and is fourth in steals (3.3 per game). West benefits from the scoring by sophomore swingman Zeek Woodley, whose 23.1 average is sixth in the NCAA.
 
While the Demons average 77 points a contest, they are allowing 84.6 per game and 47.4 percent shooting. The Warhawks are 23^rd nationally in shooting defense, allowing only 36 percent aim, and 45^th in scoring defense at 58.7 points given up per contest. ULM is 15^th in the country with 6.2 blocked shots per game. With the basketball, the Warhawks are 64^th with a plus 2.5 turnover margin led by point guard Nick Coppola, 26^th individually with a plus 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio and 39^th with 5.5 assists per game.
 
"We've got to get better defensively. ULM is very efficient offensively, and you have to do a great job of defending them," said 16^th-year NSU coach Mike McConathy. "They are extremely well coached and will challenge us in every aspect of the game."
 
Tuesday night's game will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 KZBL FM in Natchitoches and including SportsTalk 100.7 FM and SuperTalk 1340 AM KRMD in Shreveport, and KWLA 103.1 FM in Anacoco. Free audio is available at NSUDemons.com and SuperTalk1340.com.
 
Defense has been the focus for the Demons in the past week. While McConathy isn't taking offense for granted, he is encouraged by his team's upswing in the past three games in shooting and scoring.
 
"We have Jalan West, Zeek Woodley and Marvin Frazier who are playing and producing at a consistently high level. We need other guys in the mix who can rebound and defend," he said.
 
After finishing fourth in the country last year with 61.7 percent shooting, the 6-2 Woodley is at 63.2 percent this season, ranking 23^rd early in the year. West raised his scoring average to 14.0 after a season-high 28 against Louisiana Tech. Frazier is posting career-best averages of 10.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in his senior year.
 
Woodley is happy to shine statistically, but that takes a back seat to the final outcome, he said.
 
""It does feel good to get recognized, but I just want to win. If I don't get my average, there's always the next game. The key is to win the game however you have to get it done," he said.
 
The Demons have made strides recently and McConathy is hoping to show progress Tuesday night.
 
"We're getting better. We think we're supposed to be ready in November, but the reality in our system, that's hard to accomplish. We have so many new players who we are counting on for quality contributions, and on top of that, we were without four players in our last game, and won't have three at ULM. We're trying to get as good as we can with those who can play now, and we'll be adding new pieces to the puzzle down the road and that could create some transitional problems too."
 
NSU has three 6-7 or bigger players on the bench. Senior post Ryan King (6-7) and forward Matt LeBato (6-8) are injured and may return in time for Southland Conference play while NSU is waiting on NCAA clearance for junior 6-11 transfer Deji Adekunle to hit the court. The Demons also missed sophomore guard Sabri Thompson in last week's game but he will play Tuesday night.
 
ULM is led by senior Tylor Ongwae who averages 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds, while junior Majok Deng is averaging 8.8 points and 7.0 rebounds. Junior Justin Roberson, a Natchitoches Central product whose brother Gary played for the Demons, is contributing 10.7 points and shooting 56.5 percent for the Warhawks.
 
The Demons couldn't hold an 18-point lead over ULM in Prather Coliseum last year and were topped 84-80 in overtime. McConathy enjoys the opportunity to square off with a nearby rival in a series that is ULM's oldest.
 
"It's good for basketball and that's evident when you can feel the electricity in the arena when the teams are on the floor. It has to be more than just basketball, it has to be fun and exciting for the fans who buy tickets."
 
After the ULM game, the Demons won't play again until a Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20 home game against UL-Lafayette.