NATCHITOCHES – The streaking Northwestern State basketball team hopes to pick up where the Demons left off last week as a four-game homestand at Prather Coliseum resumes Thursday night with old rival McNeese State visiting for a Southland Conference matchup shown on ESPN3.

The Demons (9-11 overall, 5-4 in the conference) and Cowboys (7-14, 5-4) are scheduled for a 7:30 start, after a 5:30 women's contest between the schools.

The Demons have won their last four in a row, rolling into the only regular-season matchup with old rival McNeese and former Northwestern assistant coach Dave Simmons, the Cowboys' head coach since he spent eight years on Mike McConathy's NSU staff from 1999-2007.

The Demons' win streak features stepped-up shooting: 48.5 percent overall, 2.5 percent over NSU's season rate before it began; sinking 50 percent, 32-64, on 3-pointers, an impressive 24 over NSU's previous season average) on 3s; and 86 percent free throw aim, 87-101, a 14 percent jump over the season rate.

It also is predicated on improved defense , allowing only 40 percent shooting by foes in the last four games) and better rebounding with a +2.5 margin, countering an average that was minus 6.0 through 17 games).

Rebounding will be a focal point, said McConathy, pointing to McNeese's 48-24 domination of Oral Roberts in an impressive 79-68 whipping of visiting Oral Roberts last Saturday in Lake Charles. The Cowboys also outrebounded Central Arkansas by more than 20 last week but were upset after a miserable shooting night.

"They pounded Oral Roberts on the boards. They are an extremely dangerous team with talented players and one of the best coaches around," said McConathy. "There aren't any secrets between us. It gets down to who performs better, who is tougher, on that given day. It's a fun game except you're coaching against a dear friend and somebody walks off not winning."

Northwestern averages in the top 25 nationally in six key NCAA stats: scoring (2nd, 87.6 points per game), steals (6th, 9.4 average), turnover margin (15th, +3.8 average), assists (18th, 16.0 pg) and blocked shots (23rd, 5.9 pg). NSU is 24th in free throw aim (74.7 percent).

Sophomore point guard Jalan West, who cracked the Demons' career top 10 in assists when he handed out 10 in both games last week to get to 292 at NSU, leads the way with a 19.1 scoring average. Senior forward DeQuan Hicks is averaging 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Hicks has sank 24 of his last 28 free throws while West has made his last 13 and 27 of his last 30.

Freshman forward Zeek Woodley, eighth in the country with a 61.5 shooting percentage, is scoring 14.4 points per game while senior guard Brison White averages 13.8 per game. White had two career highs last week, 24 in a 100-86 win over Incarnate Word and 28 two days later in an 84-66 victory over Abilene Christian, as he made 58 percent of his shots including 6 of 11 on 3-pointers.

McNeese is topped by three of the league's most explosive players. Ledrick Eackles tops the team at 15.9 points per game followed by Desharick Guidry at 11.3 and Kevin Hardy scoring 11.1 per game.

Eackles has scored double figures in four straight games and has netted 20 or more in three of those, including two straight. He's also averaging 18.1 points per Southland contest.

Guidry tops the league in rebounding in conference games only with a 9.4 mark. He's pulled down double-digit boards in four straight games.

The ESPN3 coverage of the doubleheader is available on the internet through most cable television providers. Fans should check with their cable system to determine if they can watch online. It's also available through the Southland Conference app, available for free downloads

Thursday night's game will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches and including 99.9 KTEZ FM in Many and 92.1 KSYR FM in Shreveport.

Free audio of the broadcast is available at NSUDemons.com, where a video stream with audio is available on a pay-per-view or subscription basis.

Thursday night's McNeese doubleheader is NSU's "Pink Out" night with fans encouraged to wear pink to show support for cancer victims in a program promoted by the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association. Proceeds from the annual Gumbo Cook Off contest will go to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. The gumbo will be served in the east concourse of the coliseum at halftime of the Lady Demons' game.