NATCHITOCHES — Northwestern State trailed for most of Saturday afternoon, absorbed multiple Texas A&M–Corpus Christi scoring runs, and still found a way to steal the final possession.
 
Micah Thomas made sure it was the only one that mattered.

Thomas buried a buzzer-beating, one-legged 3-pointer in transition as time expired to lift Northwestern State (5-11, 3-4) to a dramatic 79–78 Southland Conference men's basketball win over the Islanders on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum, completing a comeback that unfolded slowly, painfully, and then all at once.

"We were left for dead at times, and they never gave up," head coach Rick Cabrera said. "We defended at the right time, got stops at the right time, and Micah hit a great shot. That's the greatest feeling in basketball."

Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (8-8, 4-3) controlled the opening half, setting the tone with physical defense and efficient offense. The Islanders capitalized on Northwestern turnovers and second-chance opportunities to open the game on an 8-0 run and consistently beat the Demons down the floor.

A&M-Corpus Christi stretched the lead to double digits midway through the half, peaking at 17 points with 6:44 remaining, shooting 60 percent from the field and controlling the paint.

Northwestern struggled to generate consistent stops early, allowing the Islanders to score on consecutive possessions while dictating tempo.

Despite the slow start, the Demons closed the half with renewed energy sparked by key contributions off the bench.

J.C. Riley Jr. and freshman CJ Larry provided an immediate lift after checking in, helping shift momentum late in the half. Riley Jr. poured in 11 first-half points in just eight minutes, while Larry posted a team-best plus-10 rating in the opening 20 minutes.

"Being down didn't change our mind-set," Riley Jr. said. "We've been through it before. We just stayed together and kept fighting."

Northwestern also began attacking the rim and earning trips to the free-throw line, an area where the Demons held a 15–12 advantage, trimming the deficit late and heading into halftime trailing 40–36.

After Izzy Miles opened the second half by scoring the first seven points for the Demons, A&M-Corpus Christi quickly reasserted control, pushing the lead back to 14 points at the 12:13 mark behind transition baskets and timely shooting. At that point, the Islanders appeared poised to pull away.

Instead, the game flipped.

Northwestern tightened defensively and sparked a 9–0 run, fueled by stops, rebounding, and interior scoring.

During that stretch, the Islanders went more than three minutes without a field goal, allowing the Demons to claw back into single digits and bring the crowd fully into the game.

The Demons continued chipping away as Corpus hit another cold spell late, going nearly four minutes without a made basket inside the final six minutes.

Northwestern capitalized with second-chance points and bench production, eventually tying the game at 69 and briefly taking its first lead since the opening minutes.

The final two minutes turned chaotic.

The Islanders answered with a pair of 3-pointers by D'Avian Houston, including one with 1:52 remaining to go up 78–76. Northwestern State responded with a quick bucket in the paint by Kordrick Turner, but Corpus Christi reclaimed the lead again moments later.

After a defensive stop, Northwestern State regained possession trailing by two with under 10 seconds remaining and no timeouts left.

"I knew the ball was probably going to come to me," Thomas said. "I saw the floor was crowded, tried to bait the defender, got downhill, and had to make something happen."

Thomas took control in transition, created space, and rose for a one-legged 3 just before the horn.

Nothing but net.

His shot sealed the one-point victory and sent Prather Coliseum into a frenzy.

Thomas finished with 20 points, while Miles added 17. Riley Jr. delivered a key lift off the bench with 13 points, helping Northwestern State win the bench scoring battle 35–23.

"When JC plays like that, we're hard to beat," Thomas said. "He prepared all week, and it showed."

The Demons shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, outscoring the Islanders 43–38 after halftime to erase the early deficit.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was led by Mason Gibson with 14 points, but the Islanders were unable to generate offense during critical late-game stretches.

Northwestern returns to action Monday night at Prather Coliseum, hosting UTRGV with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.