NATCHITOCHES — The Northwestern State men's basketball team closed the game with a strong surge Monday night, but the Demons' rally came up short in a 75–64 Southland Conference loss to McNeese on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum.
Facing a 22-point deficit midway through the second half after a pair of free throws from Peitok Machar, the Demons responded with renewed defensive intensity. Northwestern State (8-19, 6-12) held McNeese (22-5, 15-3) without a field goal for nearly eight minutes, until the Cowboys were forced to the free-throw line in the final seconds.
Kordrick Turner ignited the push with a layup just over seven minutes remaining, trimming the margin to 20 and sparking what became a sustained rally.
Moments later, Micah Thomas slashed through the Cowboys' defense in transition for an and-one opportunity, converting the free throw and bringing the Prather Coliseum crowd to its feet.
The Demons connected on five of their final six field-goal attempts and repeatedly attacked the rim, cutting the deficit to single digits before time expired. Thomas led the charge, finishing with 27 points and converting 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
"I'm hurt. I'm disappointed," head coach Rick Cabrera said. "But I'm also proud of our guys for fighting. We were down 20 and fought back to make it a game. I don't believe in moral victories, though. You can't make mistakes against teams like that — especially live-ball turnovers that result in points."
McNeese converted 13 Northwestern turnovers into 21 points and led for more than 39 minutes, building a cushion that ultimately proved too large to overcome.
"We just make too many mistakes," Cabrera said. "Twenty-one points off our turnovers. You just can't do that, no matter where the game is played."
Northwestern showed renewed energy coming out of halftime, with Willie Williams scoring the Demons' first six points of the second half to trim the margin to 14.
However, McNeese answered each surge.
Tyshawn Archie, who finished with 24 points, opened the game 4-for-4 from 3-point range and helped fuel a decisive first-half stretch. The Cowboys used a late surge before halftime — capitalizing on turnovers and transition opportunities — to carry a 43–29 lead into the break.
"From what I see, it was the turnovers and it was also Archie in the first half," Cabrera said. "He's a really good player. Too gifted. We didn't do a good job on him early."
Despite the early deficit, Cabrera pointed to progress from his group compared to earlier meetings.
"This is a different team," Cabrera said. "In conference play, you can't play 10 or 11 guys. You've got to keep your best players on the floor for long periods of time. We've had success doing that."
As for the late run, Cabrera credited the defensive shift.
"We got more aggressive defensively," he said. "We started firing their ball screens, getting turnovers, getting stops in the half court. We weren't calling a lot of plays because we were scoring in transition. The game plan was to drive — don't let the ball stick."
The Demons out-rebounded one of the league's biggest teams and limited McNeese to just over 40 percent shooting from the field, but second-chance opportunities and offensive rebounds also factored into the final margin.
"We did some good things," Cabrera said. "We pursued the ball like we've been asking. But certain possessions, talent took over for them. That's not luck. They've got talent at every position, especially at the guard spot."
Even in defeat, Cabrera emphasized the fight — and the bigger picture.
"I'm proud of our guys for fighting," he said. "It hurts because we're fighting for that seventh spot, maybe even sixth. But we've got to take it one game at a time. We've got two more at home that we have to win."
Northwestern remains at home Saturday for a key Southland Conference rematch against Houston Christian. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on Mike McConathy Court, with tournament positioning on the line.
