NATCHITOCHES – After trading punches in a low-scoring slugfest at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the Northwestern State men's basketball team will face one of the premier offenses in the Southland Conference when Houston Baptist visits Sunday.

The men's game is part of a doubleheader event following the Lady Demons' 2 p.m. contest with Houston Baptist.

The Demons (4-8, 1-2 SLC) will attempt to rebound from a 67-62 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in which NSU erased a 16-point deficit and took a lead under 10 minutes remaining.

NSU forced a third straight opponent to shoot under 40 percent, and coach Mike McConathy said that type of defensive performance will be crucial against an HBU (1-10, 1-1 SLC) squad that is ranked fourth in the league with nearly 80 points per game.

"We've made strides in understanding what we need to do defensively," said McConathy, whose team is averaging 63 points allowed in its last three contests. "We're executing high-handed closeouts and rebounding the ball better.

"We're doing a lot of good things even though there are a lot of categories in which we need to improve tremendously."

Freshman Nikos Chougkaz, who had his first career double-double Thursday with 12 points and 16 rebounds, has been a key cog in NSU's defense as the 6-foot-10 guard creates issues on the perimeter and in the paint.

Chougkaz has eight blocks and 12 steals in the last six games. The Demons rank third in the league and 49^th nationally with 4.6 blocks per game this season led by juniors Jamaure Gregg (1.5) and Chudier Bile (1.4), who rank in the top five in the SLC and the top 105 nationally in blocks per game.

"Nikos is making great progress, and he's gaining a lot of confidence," McConathy said. "Some of it is matchups, and we work to find favorable matchups.

"All of these guys are making an impact in the lane defensively. (On Sunday), we'll need to do a great job in defensive transition and rebounding."

HBU junior Ian DuBose scored a conference-high 44 points with 11 rebounds as the Huskies topped Central Arkansas 111-107 in overtime, HBU's first win of the season.

Out of HBU's 11 games this season, nine have been against "higher level" teams.

"Houston Baptist is as skilled as anybody in our league with the pieces they have," McConathy said. "They have guys that can make shots, and they have great speed.

"Any team that makes shots will be a dangerous team to play."

NSU's offense took positive steps in the past week, topping the 45 percent mark in the previous three games before Thursday's loss to TAMU-CC.

The Demons could find opportunities against a Huskies' defense that allows nearly 102 points per game and 53 percent shooting from the floor.

Six Demons average at least six points per game led by Bile's 13 per contest. Dubose and senior guard Jalon Gates contribute 19 and 17 points per game, respectively, for the Huskies.

HBU has won the past four meetings with three of those being by seven points or less.