NATCHITOCHES — The Northwestern State men's basketball team closes out its regular-season home slate Monday night as the Demons host UIW in a key Southland Conference matchup at Prather Coliseum.

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Mike McConathy Court and the game can be streamed on ESPN+. Radio coverage is available on the Demon Sports Network and flagship station 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches.

NSU (9-19, 7-12) enters the contest riding momentum after a wire-to-wire 71-53 victory over Houston Christian on Senior Day.

The Demons delivered their most complete performance of the season, holding HCU to 37.7 percent shooting while building a 20-point lead in the second half.

Micah Thomas led the way with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 effort at the free-throw line. Izzy Miles added 17 points and seven assists, setting the tone defensively and in transition. Willie Williams recorded another double-double — his sixth of the season — with 12 points and 10 rebounds, anchoring the interior as the Demons outscored the Huskies 34-22 in the paint.

The performance marked Northwestern's first double-digit win since its blowout of Southern-New Orleans and reinforced the defensive identity head coach Rick Cabrera has emphasized down the stretch.

Now comes a rematch with a UIW (11-17, 6-13) team that handed the Demons a narrow 76–74 loss on Jan. 17.

In that first meeting, the Cardinals ended Northwestern's 10-game winning streak in the series, a run that dated to Feb. 21, 2019.

UIW's Tahj Staveskie sealed the victory at the free-throw line, drawing a foul on the Cardinals' final possession and converting both attempts to deliver the win.

Cabrera knows exactly where the challenge begins.

"Da'Von Bailey is kind of the straw that stirs their drink," Cabrera said. "He's one of the best shooters and scorers in this league — I'd even say in the country. We did a pretty good job against him the first time there, but he's a returner. He's been in this situation before, trying to grind it out to get that last (tournament) spot. He understands how important this is."

Bailey leads UIW in scoring at 18.1 points per game, while Staveskie averages 17.8 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.

UIW enters Monday night fresh off an 82–73 road win at East Texas A&M on Saturday.

In that victory, Staveskie erupted for 33 points, shooting 10-of-21 from the field and 7-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Cabrera also pointed to the Cardinals' balance as a concern.

"Staveskie is really good. I love his game," Cabrera said. "But they've got other guys too. Jordan Pyke can give you 25 on any given night. If you focus too much on the other two, here he comes. He hurt us on a big 3 at their place in under a minute. They've got good players."

The Cardinals' last victory inside Prather Coliseum came on Jan. 6, 2021 — the game immediately preceding Northwestern State's 10-game winning streak in the series. Since then, the Demons have protected home court against UIW.

For Cabrera, the formula remains consistent.

"We have to defend and rebound," he said. "You're going to hear me say that all the time. That's what's going to get us into the tournament. We're not going to outscore people every night. If we defend and rebound, I think we'll be fine."

Monday's matchup carries added weight as both teams jockey for positioning in the conference standings with the tournament looming. The previous meeting was decided by a single possession — the kind of game Cabrera says often comes down to one or two plays.

"If you're going to lose, you'd rather lose competitively so you can walk off and say you gave everything you had," Cabrera said. "At the end of the day, it's still an L. But I like my team. They're competing. We've got momentum. We've got to finish strong."