NATCHITOCHES — After a thrilling second-half surge that fell just short, the Northwestern State men's basketball team caps a two-game homestand Wednesday, hosting East Texas A&M at Prather Coliseum in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 24 but postponed because of Winter Storm Fern. 

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN. Radio coverage is available on the Demon Sports Network and flagship station 100.7 FM KZBL in Natchitoches. 

Wednesday's game will be the Demons' annual Fight For Literacy game. There will be copies of four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka's book, "The Way Champs Play," available for fans while supplies last.  

NSU (6-16, 4-9) enters Wednesday's matchup on a five-game skid, with four of the losses decided by a single possession.  

Monday night fit that trend, as the Demons nearly flipped the script against Nicholls, erasing a sluggish first half before falling 61–58.  

Northwestern erased a 17-point deficit in the second half, with Izzy Miles leading the charge from the free-throw line and in transition and Chris Mubiru dominating inside and out. 

The Demons briefly took their first lead of the night with just over eight minutes remaining after a Mubiru 3-pointer from the top of the key, but Nicholls reclaimed it down the stretch and held on for the win.  

Mubiru finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Miles and Micah Thomas added 11 points apiece. 

Wednesday's matchup will be Northwestern State's first look at East Texas A&M this season, an unusually late first meeting in conference play due to the weather postponement. 

"Mother Nature's undefeated," third-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "I felt like we could've gotten the game in (on Jan. 24), but you always have to worry about safety first. It's definitely different playing a team for the first time this deep into the year." 

East Texas A&M (8-15, 3-10) enters the contest on a three-game losing streak, most recently falling 94–85 to New Orleans at home. The Lions shot 44 percent from the field in that contest, which featured a combined 73 free throws. 

Despite the recent results, Cabrera said the Lions present a significant challenge. 

"East Texas is actually a good team," Cabrera said. "They've beaten some good teams in this league. They've been in a lot of games and had some tough losses like us. They get up and down, they switch defensively, and they shoot a ton of threes." 

Offensively, the Lions are led by junior Ronnie Harrison, who averages 15.5 points per game on nearly 50 percent shooting and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.2 per game.  

As a team, East Texas A&M leads the Southland Conference in assists per game (16.9) and 3-point attempts per game (27.0), though it is shooting just 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. 

"That's their mojo," Cabrera said. "They're not going to alter it. We have to be good at running them off the line, taking advantage of them on the offensive end, and getting stops defensively." 

The matchup also falls at the end of a demanding stretch of three games in five to six days, something Cabrera acknowledged presents challenges from a preparation standpoint. 

"From a player standpoint, they love this schedule. They want to play games more than practice," Cabrera said. "From a coaching standpoint, I can't stand it. But it is what it is. You just make sure they're prepared going into the games and let the chips fall where they may. It really tests your short-scout ability." 

The series between Northwestern and East Texas A&M dates to the 1935–36 season and was reignited when the Lions joined the Southland Conference ahead of the 2022–23 campaign.  

Last season, the teams split the series, with each side winning on its home court. Northwestern shot 47 percent from the field in its home win, led by Thomas' game-high 25 points, while East Texas A&M held the Demons to roughly 31 percent shooting in Commerce.