NEW ORLEANS – First-year Northwestern State head coach Corey Gipson is fond of saying the only way a team loses a game is to not learn from what happened.
 
As Gipson's Demons prepare to wrap up a three-game Southland Conference road trip, they also proved learning can happen while achieving a positive outcome.
 
The Demons enter Saturday's 4 p.m. Southland Conference matchup with New Orleans receiving contributions up and down the roster. The latest NSU player to have an in-conference awakening came Thursday night when freshman guard Greedy Williams made his first start since Dec. 1.
 
Williams made Gipson's decision to re-insert the 6-foot-4 freshman into the lineup a smart one as Williams collected a career-high nine rebounds while adding three assists against only one turnover.
 
"The last time we saw that Greedy Williams was at Texas Tech," Gipson said. "Greedy is very capable. Greedy is extremely skilled. Greedy is multi-faceted on both sides of the ball. We just need Greedy to stay Greedy. When that happens, it makes us a much better team on both sides of the ball."
 
Williams scored just three points, a touch above his average for the season, but his impact was clear. Playing a career-high-tying 31 minutes, Williams was a plus-16 and posted a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His lone turnover was an offensive foul in the first half.
 
Perhaps more important in a game where the Demons played just nine players, Williams avoided fouling out despite picking up his fourth foul with 14:53 to play in the game.
 
"That's very impressive," senior point guard DeMarcus Sharp said. "He's staying disciplined. That's what coach preaches every day in practice – stay disciplined, keep your head."
 
Williams' ability to avoid what could have been a disastrous fifth foul reflected the growth that has come in a roller-coaster freshman season.
 
Williams started the first eight games of the season for Northwestern State, flashing his all-around talent in the Nov. 7 season opener at Texas Tech. Against the then-nationally ranked Red Raiders, Williams scored four points, grabbed four rebounds and handed out six assists – a total that remains his career high.
 
Williams had two other games this season where he had grabbed four rebounds ahead of Thursday night.
 
"Greedy is such a good passer, rebounder and playmaker, once he gets comfortable playing his role, it makes us such a better basketball team," said senior guard Ja'Monta Black, who tied a career high with 31 points against SLU. "It was good that he got back in his rhythm."
 
Williams and the Demons will try to carry that momentum over to Saturday's matchup against New Orleans (6-11, 3-3), which fell to Texas A&M-Commerce on Thursday.
 
Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN+ with free streaming audio available on www.NSUDemons.com and through the Northwestern State Athletics mobile app, which can be downloaded free for Apple and Android devices.
 
As Williams continues to grow in his role and in his college career, he has a mantra delivered directly from his coaches.
 
"Just be a student of the game and make smart decisions," Williams said.