EL PASO, Texas – For the first time in 93 games, since the 2015-16 season opener, everybody on the Northwestern State basketball roster is ready to play and the united front is well timed.

The Demons (2-5) visit Texas-El Paso (2-4) Saturday night at 8:05 CST in the 12,000-seat Don Haskins Center hoping to rebound from a shocking 28-point home loss Tuesday to UL Monroe. NSU had beaten ULM each of the past two years but this time the Warhawks put on a shooting clinic while the Demons couldn't find the range.

Veteran Northwestern coach Mike McConathy was taken aback by the performance Tuesday, but has been encouraged since. He'll have the services of three-time Class 5A All-State guard Brian White from Natchitoches Central for the first time, due to an Oct. 29 ankle injury that sidelined him for a month.

"It's a great opportunity for us to bounce back from an abysmal effort. Effort is a large portion of any sport, and hopefully we'll be focused. I'm excited to see if the guys will come out like they did Thursday morning and play like they practiced," said McConathy, whose Demons won 79-67 at UTEP in their last visit two seasons ago.

"One of the unique things about this group is they practice as hard as any team we've had. I don't know why we're having so much trouble getting it to the floor. Is it confidence? They're all confident young men, but collectively we need to be more confident and understand we've got to do the little things like rebounding and defending.

"One of the tendencies today in basketball, when things aren't going well, is that you're going to shoot your way back into it," he said. "You might ought to start defending your way back into it."

With 14 players, NSU will employ the wave substitutions that McConathy has used whenever possible in his 20 seasons coaching the Demons. White's debut should bolster ball movement, hopefully creating more quality shots. NSU has averaged only 10 assists to 17 by opponents. In the last two games, the Demons have made just 19 percent (10-52) on 3-pointers after sinking 35 percent in the first five outings.

"It will be great to have our full contingent of players ready to go," said McConathy. "We'll be looking to utilize our personnel more effectively. That's what this time of year is about."

Senior forward/center Ishmael Lane tops the Demons with averages of 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. Senior guard DeAndre Love led NSU Tuesday night with 14 points and has a 10.3 average.

The Miners get 20.3 points and 5.2 rebounds from 5-10 sophomore guard Evan Gillyard, who also leads the team with 2.5 assists. He is nailing 49 percent of his 3-pointers, shooting 44 percent overall, but just 55 percent at the free throw line.

Freshman Efe Odigie, a 6-9, 280-pound center, provides 14.3 points and 9.2 rebounds for UTEP, with 6-8 senior Paul Thomas pitching in 10.7 points and getting 4.8 rebounds per game.

The Demons begin a three-game stretch of games in the Lone Star state. Monday night, NSU visits 2018 NCAA Tournament entry Texas A&M and on Dec. 12, the Demons play at NCAA Elite Eight participant Texas Tech.

"It's been pretty tough so far, in our last six games," said McConathy, "and it's getting tougher the next two weeks."

NSU's road losses have come at SMU, BYU, Rice, and Houston, another 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifier. In each outing, the Demons were rather competitive for much of the first half but faltered in the final 20 minutes.