NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Northwestern State men's basketball team returns to action Tuesday afternoon with a nationally televised Southland Conference matchup against Stephen F. Austin inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., with the game airing live on CBS Sports Network. Radio coverage will be available on the Demon Sports Network, flagship station 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.

The Demons (6-13, 4-6) arrive in Nacogdoches following multiple postponements, including their scheduled Saturday home contest against East Texas A&M, which was called off because of inclement weather from Winter Storm Fern.

The delay forced Northwestern to shift its focus directly to a road test against the conference-leading Lumberjacks.

Prior to the postponement, the Demons endured a challenging weekend on the road, dropping back-to-back games at UIW on Jan. 17 and Houston Christian on Jan. 19 in heartbreaking fashion.

The loss at UIW came when Tahj Staveskie converted game-winning free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining, while HCU sealed its win two days later on a Kylin Green layup with nine seconds left.

Despite the 0-2 road swing, the Demons' veteran leaders delivered strong performances. Seniors Micah Thomas and Willie Williams paced the offense, with Thomas averaging 17 points per game and Williams posting 16.5 points per contest across the two outings.

Tuesday marks the second meeting between the two programs this season.

Stephen F. Austin claimed a 74–64 win on New Year's Eve at Prather Coliseum, holding Northwestern to 41 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent from 3-point range. Junior Chris Mubiru and Thomas combined for 29 points in the loss.

"They've been handling business," Northwestern head coach Rick Cabrera said. "They're very balanced on both ends of the floor, but what probably doesn't get talked about enough is how well they defend. Their defensive numbers are really, really good."

The Lumberjacks (17-3, 10-1) enter Tuesday's matchup on a five-game winning streak and stand as one of just two Southland Conference teams undefeated at home.

Offensively, SFA is led by senior guard Keon Thompson, a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Week who averages 17.4 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field.

As a team, Stephen F. Austin leads the Southland Conference in scoring offense (83.5 points per game) and 3-pointers made per game (11.0), using pace and perimeter shooting to set the tone.

"We had our moments to keep it a possession game the first time," Cabrera said. "But they made some big-time plays and big-time shots, and we didn't capitalize."

Tuesday's matchup presents a chance for redemption for a Northwestern team eager to respond after a stretch defined by narrow defeats.

"It's good to get them a second time around and try to redeem ourselves," Cabrera said. "I think we can go into any game in this conference and win if we're locked in defensively."