RUSTON – Games usually aren't won in the beginning, but they can be lost.

That's the hump Northwestern State will attempt to hurdle Monday against ULM after slow starts have hamstrung the Demons in their last two losses.

Monday's 2 p.m. contest at Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center against the Warhawks (1-2) wraps up its participation in the Lanky Wells Memorial Classic, a multi-team event hosted by Louisiana Tech.

Fans not attending the game can catch the radio broadcast on 94.9 FM The River (Patrick Netherton), the NSU app, or an audio stream at nsudemons.com. No video broadcast is available for this game.

NSU (1-4) has suffered through early runs of 15-0 by Louisiana Tech and 16-0 by SMU in its last two losses.

After NSU scored the initial bucket against Louisiana Tech, the Demons trudged through a 5:35 scoreless stretch that set the tone in an 83-64 loss.

SMU accounted for the game's first 16 points as NSU went nearly seven minutes without scoring.

NSU also didn't start well in a 31-point win against Champion Christian, who scored the first six points and took a 9-4 lead.

"We've got to bring it in the first half," said NSU senior center Larry Owens, who tallied his second career best total of 19 points against Louisiana Tech. "The way you start the game will determine how the game is going to go.

"For us to be successful, we have to set the tone and continue it with the second wave. We've got to bring that energy to ULM."

Owens is a Monroe native who cut his teeth at Carroll High, but after playing ULM in each of his previous four seasons, the game feels like most others for him.

"It doesn't really bother me because we play ULM each season that I've been here," Owens said. "We know what to expect out of each other."

NSU coach Mike McConathy changed the Demons' fortunes against ULM (formerly Northeast Louisiana), winning 11 of the 20 meetings since he's taken the reins in Natchitoches in a series that ULM leads 76-50 all-time.

But ULM coach Keith Richard has had the upper hand since coming to Monroe in 2010, winning six of nine contests, including the last three.

NSU does have the lone win on a neutral floor, topping the Warhawks 68-64 in Bossier City in 2016.

A quick start will be a key Monday, but the Demons haven't been totally foreign to strong initial pushes.

NSU led Tulsa 21-14 and again with four minutes remaining in an 82-75 loss. The Demons also built an early lead at Oklahoma and trailed the Sooners by just three at halftime.

"We have to continue to get better as a team and stay together," said NSU associate head coach Jeff Moore, who filled in for McConathy on Friday after a vaccinated McConathy tested positive for COVID-19. "We can't let this disappointment (against Louisiana Tech) turn into another disappointment.

"The things we need to fix are internal. We have to play harder, especially defensively, and be closer as a team against ULM. (Against Louisiana Tech), I thought (Larry Owens) did a great job of using his body and creating angles. And credit to our guards because we made a lot of good passes as Larry drew seven fouls. Kendal Coleman (10 points) also came out in the second half and played well after foul trouble in the first half."

Coleman has been the bell cow for NSU so far, averaging 18 points and nearly eight rebounds per game while shooting 66 percent from the floor.

His 43 made field goals rank second nationally after topping the charts in the first week of the season.

ULM's lone win came against Champion Christian as the Warhawks dominated in a 114-59 win.

Trey Boston leads a balanced ULM attack with 12 points per game on a team in which eight scorers average seven points or more.

Natchitoches native Thomas Howell (St. Mary's School) is a member of that group, averaging 7.7 points and five rebounds per contest.