HOUSTON, Texas – The Northwestern State men's basketball team reversed a home trend by topping Abilene Christian on Wednesday.
 
The Demons (9-12, 6-6 Southland Conference) aim to continue a different trend when they head to Houston Baptist on Saturday in a 7 p.m. game. It's the first contest this season in which NSU will see a team for the second time.
 
NSU has won three of its past four road games, beating Incarnate Word (72-66), Nicholls (73-72) and New Orleans.
 
Fans can catch the action on the radio (95.9 FM Kix Country with Patrick Netherton), streaming audio (nsudemons.com) or video (hbuhuskies.com).
 
HBU has won just three games this season, but the Huskies are riding high on a two-game winning streak with victories against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and at Southeastern.
 
"This is an aggressive offense, and with the way they share the ball, you definitely have to stay in front of them," said NSU coach Mike McConathy of an HBU offense that leads the Southland Conference with 81.8 points per game. "The shot 45 free throws against us because they drove straight at the goal and drew foul after foul.
 
"We have to attack them on offense just like they'll attack us. It's going to be a tough, tough game."
 
NSU's last trip to Houston didn't end well, falling 92-54 to the Huskies before the Demons snapped HBU's four-game winning streak in the series earlier this season.
 
The Demons clobbered HBU in the first meeting this season, 106-79, the largest NSU conference win since 2015
 
In the Jan. 5 matchup, NSU's defense prevailed against the potent HBU offense, forcing 20 turnovers and allowing just 21 field goals.
 
Junior guard Ian DuBose scored 20 points with the help of nine free throws as he's averaged 19.4 points per game this season.
 
NSU's defense leads the league in holding opponents to 39.7 percent from the field.
 
The Demons' offense produced season-highs of 106 points and 60 percent shooting in the first meeting.
 
Sophomore Trenton Massner scored a career-high 20 points and junior Jairus Roberson dropped 19 points to lead five Demons in double figures and seven players with at least eight points.
 
NSU had the offensive success despite leading scorer Chudier Bile (13.9 points per game) playing just seven minutes.
 
With just eight games remaining in the regular season, NSU sits in a three-way tie for sixth place with Lamar (6-6 SLC) and Central Arkansas (6-6). The Demons have the tiebreaker with Lamar and still have one more game against the Bears.
 
NSU does not have a tiebreaker against ninth-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-7 SLC), which would be the first team out of the SLC Tournament should the season end now.
 
With HBU's past two wins, the Huskies' defensive has dramatically improved. HBU had been allowing more than 100 points per game this season, but in the last three games, HBU's given up just 79 points per game.
 
That includes an 84-82 loss to Incarnate Word in which HBU could have pieced together a three-game winning streak.
 
After Saturday's trip, NSU returns to the friendly confines of Prather Coliseum for the next three games. – UIW on Feb. 12, McNeese on Feb. 15 and Nicholls on Feb. 19.