KATY, Texas – Northwestern State battled on the boards against larger opponents this season, and the Demons flexed their rebounding muscle Friday against a smaller Incarnate Word squad on the second day of the Southland Conference Tip-Off.

No rebounds were more important than Cedric Garrett's offensive board with 18 seconds left as he tipped in a Jovan Zelenbaba miss, completing a three-point play in the 83-80 win against the Cardinals.

"I came off a curl, and (Zelenbaba) hit me with the ball," said Garrett, who scored 11 points with three rebounds and a team-high four assists. "I saw the help (defense) come, and I saw Jovan open for the 3-pointer.

"Luckily I got a friendly bounce, and I was at the right place at the right time. It feels good to get a win, and we knew we have to keep fighting and digging down. Even when you're fatigued, you can't give up."

The Demons (4-12) will face New Orleans (5-8) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to wrap up the event in the consolation bracket finals. The winner will claim fifth place in the tournament, and the game can be watched on ESPN+ and heard on 94.9 FM The River, on nsudemons.com or on the NSU app. UNO knocked off Houston Baptist 81-65 on Friday.

NSU snatched 11 offensive rebounds and held a 16-4 edge in second-chance points as the Demons snatched their first Division I win of the season.

Garrett's made free throw on the hoop and harm highlighted another important factor, NSU's 17-21 performance from the line.

The Demons entered the tip-off event with a season-high 15 made free throws, but they've made 20 and 17 in the two tournament games at the Merrell Center. They've also shot 74 percent from the line in the last two games after making just 61 percent this season.

NSU held a 17-7 edge at the free-throw line over the Cardinals.

Kendal Coleman recorded his sixth double double this season and fifth in six games after he returned from his COVID-19 quarantine. Coleman finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds after missing Thursday's contest against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (89-67 loss).

Joining Coleman and Garrett in double figure scoring was Carvell Teasett (team-high 18 points) and Zelenbaba with 13 points and four rebounds.

"We had to make sure we stayed together and played as one, and I think chemistry played a big part in the end," said Coleman, who entered the game shooting 57 percent this season but made just 6-18. "It feels good to get back on the floor with my teammates, and there were times when I felt down about missing shots.

"But my teammates helped me up and get back to it."

NSU held the lead for vast stretches in the contest with two big first-half runs before the Cardinals slowly chipped away in the second half.

UIW took its final lead and just the third edge of the game at the 1:45 mark when Benjamin Griscti tipped in a rebound for a 78-77 advantage.

But NSU's LaTerrance Reed responded with a 3-pointer, his first and only bucket, with 57 seconds remaining for the 80-78 NSU edge.

UIW's R.J. Glasper answered with a tough runner for two of his game-high 20 points before Garrett's putback sealed the NSU win.

"We hadn't been able to make plays in close games against Tulsa or Stephen F. Austin, so while I would have liked to win this one by seven or eight, it's actually better for us to win in this fashion," said NSU coach Mike McConathy. "We got a stop when we needed, and we were able to make a play offensively. We'll prepare for UNO, but I think it's really important that we celebrate this win given the really tough schedule we've played and the beatings we've taken."

After UIW made six of its first eight shots to build an early lead, the Demons took control with a 12-2 run to take a 23-16 edge.

Teasett drained his third 3-pointer of the early going to start the run before he and Brian White went to the bench with two fouls each.

The freshman finished 4-6 from deep and 6-11 overall as he scored 14 of his 18 in the first half.

Zurabi Zhgenti scored five of his seven points during the run, including slipping a screen to complete a three-point play off the pass from Garrett.

Zhgenti returned the favor with a behind-the-back pass to Garrett on the next possession.

"The matchups weren't great for guys like (Zhgenti or Larry Owens) today, but Zhgenti played some great minutes in the first half," McConathy said. "Zelenbaba was important offensively and as a big guard to play on Drew Lutz, who did have 17 points today.

"UIW is a hard team to play not because of their personnel but because they are so disciplined and execute their stuff so well. You get better from this game because they are so well coached, and you have to be disciplined to beat them."

Offensive rebounding played a big role in the latter stages of the first half as NSU went on a 15-5 spurt en route to its biggest lead at 40-26.

Coleman scored seven straight points in the run, including two buckets off second-chance points. The Demons turned eight offensive rebounds into 11 points and constructed a nine-rebound edge in the first half.

Zelenbaba scored five of his eight first-half points in the run, which was capped by Teasett's fourth trey of the stanza.

The Demons showed some discipline of their own with 18 assists to five turnovers.

It's the first game with five or fewer turnovers since 1993 when NSU committed just four turnovers against Stephen F. Austin.