NATCHITOCHES – Traditional Southland Conference basketball powers trying to reshape their identities collide in Prather Coliseum Monday night as Sam Houston State visits Northwestern State.
 
Tipoff is 7:30 after a 5:30 women's matchup between the schools. The Demons (3-8 overall) fell 99-73 Saturday afternoon at home to a hot-shooting Houston Baptist squad while the Bearkats (6-8) prevailed 78-72 at Incarnate Word as the Southland's 2016 season began.
 
Sam Houston played in the last two Southland Tournament championship games while NSU won 59 games in the last three years. Both have made two postseason tournament appearances in that span, including NSU's 2013 NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
But both have lost star senior point guards for the season due to injury. Before NSU's NBA Draft prospect Jalan West went out in the first game of 2015-16, preseason All-Southland first teamer Paul Baxter – Sam Houston's only returning starter – was lost in preseason.
 
The Bearkats physical inside game and hard-nosed defense present challenges for the Demons, said NSU coach Mike McConathy.
 
"We've got to do a much better job defensively. They're an A to B to C team, meaning they're very, very disciplined. Coach (Jason) Hooten does a great job coaching up his teams," said McConathy. "They can score, they will defend, they will rebound. We have to do a better job of being in the passing lanes, of attacking missed shots, and doing all the little things that are important."
 
Saturday, Houston Baptist hit 18 of 25 shots in a second-half run that turned a one-point game into a rout.
 
The Demons should get a boost with the return of starting point guard Devonte Hall. The sophomore who stepped into West's slot in the first five had to miss Saturday's game while attending his grandmother's funeral, and NSU didn't compensate for his 5.8 assists average that ranks 29^th nationally.
 
Leading scorer Zeek Woodley was held seven points under his average, getting only 16. NSU shot only 39 percent overall.
 
Woodley's season average slipped to 22.6, 14^th best nationally, while the 6-2 swingman ranks 18^th with his 90 percent shooting aim on free throws, pacing NSU's 77.5 percent rate that is the country's fourth best. He also leads NSU with a 5.2 rebounding average, makes 54 percent of his shots overall and 46 percent of his 3-pointers.
 
Freshman 6-8 center Ishmael Lane scored a team-best 18 Saturday for NSU and bumped his season average to 12.4. Junior guard Sabri Thompson is averaging 10.5 points per game.
 
SHSU is led by 6-8 junior center Aurimas Majauskas, averaging 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds, while 6-2 junior guard Dakarai Henderson contributes 12.6 points per game.
 
Monday night's doubleheader will be broadcast on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 KZBL FM in Natchitoches and including 92.1 KSYR FM in Shreveport and 103.1 FM KWLA serving Many and Leesville. Audio is streamed for free at NSUDemons.com, where a pay-per-view video stream is available.
 
Monday's doubleheader is billed as "Basic Health & Fitness New Year – New You!" night. The first 100 fans in the doors Monday evening will receive a three-day pass to Basic Health & Fitness in Natchitoches. A fan will win a three-month membership, while six one-month memberships will be awarded and Basic Health & Fitness T-shirts will be tossed to fans.
 
The contest is the last homecourt action for the Demons until a Jan. 19 game against A&M-Corpus Christi. NSU opens a three-game stretch of road games next Saturday at Incarnate Word, then visits Abilene Christian on Jan. 12 and Lamar Jan. 16.