BEAUMONT, Texas – During the non-conference portion of his team's schedule, Northwestern State coach Corey Gipson spoke of wanting "to have two new players in March not two new plays."
 
March is still four weeks away, but Gipson's Demons appear to be ahead of the learning curve he set for them.
 
Northwestern State, winners of five in a row, again will put their emerging depth on display at 6 p.m. Saturday when the Demons (15-8, 7-3)  face Lamar (7-16, 3-7) in a Southland Conference matchup.
 
The game will air 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.
 
"We are ahead of the curve," Gipson said. "We've had guys emerge. They've learned the system. They've bought into the system. They're defending and rebounding like we ask them. When that starts to happen, that's when it gets really good. As a staff, we don't really know our ceiling right now because we have a couple more guys we're still waiting for.
 
"We've added two. We add two more, then our depth really increases for the remainder of the season."
 
Among those who have taken steps forward has been sophomore guard Emareyon McDonald. In the Demons' 80-65 win against Lamar a week ago, McDonald poured in a career-high 18 points.
 
He followed that by matching that total in the Demons' 94-76 win at Houston Christian on Thursday. McDonald also tied his career high with three steals in the win against the Huskies.
 
McDonald has scored in double figures in three of his past four games, stepping into a variety of roles to extend the Demons' run of success.
 
"I always tell people and I tell the staff, I'm more impressed with what Emareyon McDonald is doing behind closed doors," Gipson said. "I'm not impressed by anything our guys do on the court. I wasn't impressed with Ja'Monta Black when he hit the nine 3s (against Houston Christian on Jan. 26), because that's what he does in practice.
 
"What I am impressed with is when guys bring it every day, and they become everyday guys behind closed doors. That translates to the game when the lights come on. That's what I'm impressed with."
 
McDonald's initial career-best scoring game came in a matchup where Lamar focused on slowing Black, who attempted just five shots and made one 3-pointer.
 
NSU's growing depth was on display in Thursday's win at HCU.
 
Isaac Haney delivered arguably his best all-around performance in Southland play, scoring 12 points, grabbing seven rebounds and equaling a career high with seven assists while not committing a turnover. A sophomore guard, Haney added three steals and his second block of the season.
 
Haney credited his teammates and coaches for continually delivering positive reinforcement as he endured a slight downturn in production. His resurgence was part of a game in which the Demons produced five double-figure scorers for the first time since a Jan. 5 loss at McNeese – an eight-game span.
 
"It means a lot to us coming down the stretch," said senior point guard DeMarcus Sharp, who leads NSU in scoring, assists, steals and blocks. "There are going to be games where we need two new players. We need as many players to get better to help us along this journey. That's what they're doing, and it shows."