NATCHITOCHES – A furious second-half rally brought the Northwestern State men's basketball team within a single possession in the final seconds, but the Demons' comeback bid fell just short in a 75–73 loss to Southern on Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum.
Southern (3–4) controlled the early stages, drilling eight first-half 3-pointers – including five in a scorching five-minute stretch from Fazl Oshodi – and using a 21–11 run to build a double-digit lead midway through the opening period.
The Jaguars' perimeter efficiency and advantage on the glass sent NSU into halftime trailing 42–28 despite flashes of rhythm from Micah Thomas and Justin Redmond.
"Tough one," head coach Rick Cabrera said. "All credit to Southern — good basketball team. We can't get ourselves in a hole and have to play catch-up. We take a four-point lead and just can't get a stop. That's been the story of our season so far."
But the second half told a very different story.
The Demons (1–6) erupted out of the locker room with energy, ball movement and timely shot-making, turning what had been an uphill climb into a possession-by-possession battle down the stretch.
NSU shot 55.6 percent from the field and went 8-for-13 from deep after halftime, sparking a comeback that brought the Prather crowd back to life.
"We just kept getting stops," Cabrera said. "When they get stops, they're allowed to play free because they're very unselfish. You get transition buckets, and in the half-court, you get a little more confidence. We started the game out bad on both ends — that's on me — but when we defended, everything clicked."
Chip Brunt ignited the turnaround to start the second half, scoring Northwestern State's first two baskets after the break and coming up with key defensive plays, including a block that led to a transition finish.
His energy helped slice what had been a 16-point deficit down to single digits and set the tone for the Demons' push.
From there, the offense flowed through Thomas.
He heated up quickly, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the margin to 52–50 with 12:28 remaining, then adding a pull-up jumper to keep the pressure on Southern as NSU continued to chip away.
The Demons' surge was sustained by a massive lift off the bench from junior guard Chris Mubiru. Mubiru buried a pair of deep 3s to keep Southern's defense scrambling, calmly sank two free throws to pull NSU within 62–61 with 8:44 left, and then drove and kicked to the right wing for a Redmond triple that gave the Demons their first lead of the afternoon at 64–62.
"Chris was phenomenal," Cabrera said. "He kept us in the game. Guys drove and kicked it to him and he made open 3s — that's what we've been looking for. I'm happy to see him get his groove."
Izzy Miles also stepped into the moment, drilling two momentum-shifting 3s and adding an assist on another perimeter bucket as Northwestern and Southern traded answers in a back-and-forth final stretch.
Southern eventually responded with a counterpunch behind standout guard Michael Jacobs, who strung together several tough finishes in the lane to wrest the lead back for the Jaguars.
A powerful dunk from Terrance Dixon Jr. with 39 seconds left pushed the Southern advantage to 75–71 and appeared to give the visitors control late.
NSU refused to go away.
Senior forward Willie Williams crashed the glass for a critical putback with 10 seconds remaining, trimming the deficit to two and setting up one final chance after a missed Southern free throw.
Williams' return to the lineup was one of the brightest developments of the afternoon.
"I'm so proud of him because he's still a little gimpy and he's playing through it," Cabrera said. "For him to give us 12 points and nine rebounds in his first game back — he did everything we needed to win."
The Demons pushed the ball into the frontcourt and generated a clean look from beyond the arc, but Redmond's contested right-wing 3-pointer rattled out as time expired.
Thomas finished with 15 points, 13 of which came in the second half, while shooting 3-for-7 from deep.
Mubiru added 11 points, four assists and a perfect 3-for-3 showing from beyond the arc.
Miles chipped in six points, while Williams delivered 12 points and 9 rebounds in his return.
Despite the loss, Cabrera said the message remains the same.
"My main concern is us defensively," Cabrera said. "I'm the head of this ship, and we see that iceberg far away — we're heading that way. I have to figure out a way to turn it, and I will. I love my guys. This is a game we should have won, but Southern made big shots and got stops when they needed."
The Demons return to action Friday when they open Southland Conference play at defending league champion McNeese. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in Lake Charles.
