NATCHITOCHES — The Northwestern State men's basketball team remains on Mike McConathy Court at Prather Coliseum on Saturday afternoon looking to bounce back as the Demons host Houston Christian in Southland Conference play.

The senior-day tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game is presented by Lott Oil. The game will stream on ESPN+ with radio coverage available on the Demon Sports Network, flagshipped by 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.

Prior to tipoff, Northwestern State will honor seniors Quentin Bolton Jr., Landyn Jumawan, Willie Williams and Micah Thomas in their penultimate regular-season home appearance.

NSU (8-19, 6-12) enters the matchup following a 75–64 loss to McNeese on Monday night.

Despite trailing by as many as 22 points in the second half, the Demons mounted a 13–0 run while holding the Cowboys scoreless for nearly eight minutes, cutting the deficit to single digits before running out of time.

"We've got to build off that," head coach Rick Cabrera said. "We allowed them to shoot nearly 49 percent until about the eight-minute mark of the second half. But those last eight minutes, they didn't score a basket. Most of our points came off of our defense. That's something we can grow from."

Micah Thomas led the way in the loss with 27 points on 7-of-17 shooting, including 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. Northwestern State limited McNeese to 42 percent shooting overall and outrebounded the Cowboys despite being undersized.

Cabrera believes the difference between this group and the one that fell in Houston earlier this season is on the defensive end.

"We're a much better defensive team than we were back in January," Cabrera said. "When both teams get into the 80s like that first game, neither defense was very good. The only thing that's going to get us into this tournament is defending and rebounding. We've got good players that can score, but we have to defend and rebound to win."

Houston Christian (10-17, 6-12) enters Saturday riding a two-game winning streak after victories against New Orleans and Nicholls.

The Huskies edged UNO 61–60 on a game-winning floater by D'Aundre Samuels with 1.6 seconds left, then closed out Nicholls 72–68 behind late free throws from Kylin Green.

Discipline has been central to HCU's success. The Huskies commit just 15.1 fouls per game — the lowest mark in the Southland Conference and 28th nationally.

The previous meeting between the teams on Jan. 19 came down to the final possession, with HCU winning 82–80 on Green's free throws in the closing seconds. Prior to that result, the Demons had won six straight in the series, including four under Cabrera.

With the conference standings tightly packed around the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, Cabrera emphasized the importance of defending home court in the final stretch.

"One game can shift everything," Cabrera said. "We tell our guys every day we've got to win our home games. That's easier said than done, but you have to approach it with the same mentality you would on the road. The rims are the same size. The court's the same. We're just more familiar here. It's so important to take care of business at home."

Saturday also marks Senior Day for a group that has helped shape the program over the last two seasons.

"They've brought so much value to our program," Cabrera said of Thomas, Williams and Jumawan. "They helped us win a lot of games last year. We haven't had the year we wanted up to this point, but they can still change that. I'm praying they finish strong for them — not for me. This is their legacy."

Cabrera also praised Bolton's leadership and unselfishness.

"Quentin's one of the best teammates I've coached," he said. "He's first in the gym, last out. He doesn't complain. He stays ready. Those things don't show up in a stat sheet, but they matter."

With four games remaining and tournament positioning still in reach, the Demons understand the urgency.

"If you're going to lose, you'd rather lose competitively," Cabrera said. "But at the end of the day, it's still an L. I like my team. They're competing. We've got momentum. Now we've got to finish strong."