NATCHITOCHES – Freshman center Ishmael Lane's mother prepared a post-game Thanksgiving feast for her son's Northwestern State basketball teammates.
 
Her son gorged himself on Louisiana College first. The 6-foot-8 Lane scored 25 points and snagged nine rebounds, both season highs, Wednesday night to lead the Demons to a hard-fought 86-80 win over the visiting Division III Wildcats.
 
The nation's top returning scorer, junior swingman Zeek Woodley, was held 10 under his average, but six of his 15 points may have been the most critical of the night for NSU, which won for the first time in five games. Woodley converted a four-point play, bombing in a 3-pointer from the corner opposite the NSU bench and adding a free throw with 4:19 remaining to break the last of seven ties and push the Demons up 74-70. Woodley snatched an offensive rebound and scored with 1:29 left that put NSU ahead 80-74, and LC never got closer than four afterward.
 
The Demons also got 15 points and a career-best six assists from junior guard Sabri Thompson as they sank 51 percent of their shots.
 
The Wildcats, who counted the game as an exhibition, were led by twin 21-point outings from Kevin Lewis and Anthony Gaines Jr., who added a game-best 15 rebounds. Kevin Cottonham poured in 18 points for LC, which won 73-70 earlier this month over NSU's Southland Conference rival McNeese.
 
The Demons stepped up their defense down the stretch after the Wildcats overcame a 10-point deficit to tie the game. LC sank only 29 percent of its second-half shots and 41 percent overall.
 
Lane had his third double-digit scoring output as a Demon, sinking 9 of 12 shots and hitting 7 of 10 at the free throw line in 25 minutes. Woodley added six rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot to his 15-point total.
 
Redshirt freshman forward Reginald Kissoonlal posted a career best with nine points and added five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in his second game of the season. All 10 Demons who played had scored by halftime, when NSU led 47-41.
 
The Demons hit the road Thursday afternoon for a Friday 7:35 game at Auburn, to be carried on the SEC Network. NSU will visit Arkansas next Tuesday and wraps up an incredibly challenging opening stretch with a Dec. 8 visit to Baylor. The Demons have already played Ole Miss and No. 11  Arizona, along with 2015 CBI runner-up UL Monroe and 2015 NAIA Tournament entry LSU Alexandria.