Box Score NATCHITOCHES – Perfect it was not. Balanced and effective? That it was.
 
The Northwestern State men's basketball team shook off a bit of a sluggish start Monday night in its season opener against Dallas Christian inside Prather Coliseum, using a first-half run to set the tone for a 96-55 victory.
 
"From a basketball standpoint, these are the kinds of games where you want to get better," second-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "As a coach, I'm a little bit hard on myself and the guys. I didn't like us too much defensively in the second half. We gave up double-digit offensive rebounds. These guys know a long jump shot is going to bring a long rebound, but we'll get better."
 
The game was taut early with neither team holding a two-possession lead until J.C. Riley Jr.'s layup at the 12:32 mark of the first half gave Northwestern (1-0) a four-point lead.
 
Riley's bucket started a 17-2 burst across the next 3:29, allowing the Demons to build their first double-figure lead – a level they held the final 30:28 of the game.
 
Northwestern's 3-point shooting awakened during the run with Love Bettis, Landyn Jumawan and Jon Sanders II accounting for nine of the final 11 points of the surge with 3-pointers. The trio all hit their first 3-pointers as Demons during the surge.
 
Sanders led Northwestern's four double-figure scorers with 16 points on an efficient 4-for-5 shooting night that included a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range.
 
As a team, the Demons knocked down 10 of 27 3-point shots (37 percent) while hitting 50 percent of their 62 field goals. They were equally as efficient at the free throw line, connecting on 24 of 28 shots (85.7 percent).
 
Bettis, a junior transfer from Florida A&M, missed most of the 2023-24 season with an ankle injury, making Monday's game a bit sweeter.
 
"First game was good," Bettis said. "We can't take any opponent lightly. We're going out there to get better. For me, personally, I felt good out there. I felt like I took some 3s for granted. I've got to stay locked in and knock them down. Defensively, I felt like I had a couple of errors, but they are things I can fix."
 
In addition to Sanders and Bettis, the Demons got double-figure scoring from the debuting Addison Patterson (14) and JT Warren (12), who was playing for the first time since Nov. 18, 2023.
 
Much like Warren and Bettis, Patterson returned to action following an extended layoff after missing the entire 2023-24 season. In his Demon debut, the 6-foot-7 Canadian hit 5 of 7 shots and handed out three assists without committing a turnover.
 
Highlighting Patterson's Demon debut was a three-minute stretch at the end of the first half where he drove through the Dallas Christian defense three times, showcasing his finishing ability.
 
"Talent is not an issue for Addison," said Cabrera, who coached Patterson at Tallahassee Community College in the 2022-23 season. "He's a multi-dimensional player who loves to hit open guys. He knows when it's time for him to score. I know when it's time for him to score. I've got to get him better on the defensive end on being locked in. We'll get him there. He's very coachable and very fun to play with. We'll get him there after his long layoff."
 
The Demons return to action Friday when they head to Texas Tech. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at United Supermarkets Arena.