CONWAY, Arkansas – Coming off a victory in a pivotal swing game, the Northwestern State men's basketball team returns to what has been a familiar place for it this season – the road.
 
The Demons wrap up the first half of Southland Conference play Saturday at 4 p.m., taking on Central Arkansas inside the Farris Center. It will be the 13^th road game of the schedule for Northwestern State, which has played 18 games in the 2020-21 season.
 
The game can be heard on 95.9 FM and the Demon Sports Network. Free streaming audio is available on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free via the Apple Store or through Google Play.
 
The lessons learned on that road-heavy slate have begun to bear fruit for the Demons (4-14, 3-4), who have won their past two games. At no point have they been seen more than in the final four minutes in each of those two victories.
 
"We took another step (Wednesday) in learning how to win tight games," 22^nd-year head coach Mike McConathy said. "If you back a week ago at Stephen F. Austin, we were within six a couple of times with opportunities to cut into it, and we couldn't do it. We turned it over or gave them an easy bucket. (Against UNO) we made some things happen."
 
While the Demons are taking steps forward, the Bears (3-12, 2-5) have slumped, dropping five straight games after starting conference play with consecutive wins.
 
The NSU-UCA normally has produced plenty of offense, including a 100-85 Northwestern State victory to close out the 2019-20 regular season. This year, both teams are averaging between 70 and 71 points per game, which on paper portends another close game.
 
Both teams remain highly paced, according to KenPom.com. The Bears rank 20^th nationally in adjusted temp (73.2 possessions per game) while NSU stands 49^th in that metric (71.9).
 
"One of the things that's interesting is we've been in track meets in the first half, but we've slowed down in the second half," McConathy said. "We have to work on that. We're not telling our guys not to run. We've got to get out and run and keep the pressure on. That doesn't mean we have to get out and take an early 3. It means we need to get down the floor. That's something we've got to work on, extending that for 40 minutes against doing it for 20 minutes."
 
Senior forward Larry Owens did just that Wednesday night, racking up his second double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) in as many home games.
 
Almost as important as Owens' statistical production has been the impact he has had on his teammates when he is not on the court.
 
McConathy praised Owens' high basketball IQ while his teammates reiterated their appreciation for the levity and energy the 6-foot-7, 300-pound powerhouse brings to the Demon family.
 
"Larry's one of the best people you are going to meet," said junior guard Trenton Massner, who leads NSU in scoring at 12.6 points per game. "Whether he's playing well or not, he's going to encourage everybody. He's a great role model for this team, especially as a leader. Coach has tried to get me to be a leader, but I'll leave that to Larry. I love Larry. Everybody loves Larry."