DENTON, Texas – The Northwestern State men's basketball team continues its season-opening road stretch Thursday night, traveling to face North Texas at the Super Pit.
 
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.
 
After opening the year at Texas A&M, third-year head coach Rick Cabrera's team enters Thursday's matchup looking to build on offensive highlights from Monday's season debut while tightening up defensively.
 
"We were awful defensively," Cabrera said. "(Texas A&M) has an unorthodox way of playing that fits them and works well for them, but we're not going to let that game hinder us. We had a really good practice (Tuesday), and we're ready to face North Texas."
 
Senior guard Micah Thomas led the Demons (0–1) with a career-high 28 points, shooting 9-for-16 from the field, a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range, and 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Cabrera praised the senior's performance but noted the need for more balance.
 
"Micah has always had that gift to score," Cabrera said. "He kept it respectable with his ability to put the ball in the hole. He's only been cleared for a few weeks, so what he's doing is impressive — but I know he'd trade the points for a win."
 
Sophomore guard Omar Adegbola added 14 points off the bench, providing an interior spark, while Justin Redmond scored eight and Chris Mubiru collected a team-high seven rebounds. Moustapha Loum finished 3-for-4 from the field, flashing his athleticism against A&M's frontcourt.
 
"Moustapha showed high-major athleticism," Cabrera said. "He plays hard every day. We've just got to get him to stop fouling so much. That's part of his learning curve — finding that balance between being aggressive and being smart."
 
Cabrera also pointed to positive signs from his newcomers, especially in their first Division I test.
 
"Omar played well. He kind of played a little more freely," Cabrera said. "Justin didn't play too bad. CJ (Larry) played well, too. I was a little concerned putting a freshman into an SEC game, but he didn't have any turnovers. There were a few bright spots, and now it's about moving forward."
 
North Texas (1–0) opened its season with an 88–54 victory over New Mexico Highlands, shooting 54 percent from the field and 44 percent from deep. The Mean Green poured in 48 points off the bench and 40 in the paint, emphasizing their balanced attack.
 
"They play really, really hard," Cabrera said. "They're very well-coached and disciplined — a man-to-man team that gets after it. We'll have to handle some pressure again, not in a full-court sense like A&M, but it'll be another physical, defensive game. You'll see a different team from us against North Texas."
 
Despite the difficult opening stretch, Cabrera said he believes the early tests will pay off.
 
"You're not going to see many teams defend like that," he said. "If I could go back, I'd probably rather have A&M as our second game, but that's part of basketball. It doesn't define us. We flushed it after practice and moved on to the next one."
 
Thursday's matchup continues Northwestern State's three-game road swing to begin the 2025–26 campaign. Following the trip to Denton, the Demons head to Florence, Alabama, to face North Alabama on Nov. 11.