COMMERCE, Texas — In a defensive battle defined by missed opportunities and late drama, Northwestern State came up just short Saturday night, falling 52-48 to East Texas A&M at the Field House.
After scoring just 19 points in the first half — its lowest first-half output of the season — the Demons (6-18, 4-11) spent much of the night playing from behind. Northwestern trailed for more than 36 minutes and never held the lead yet still cut the deficit to two in the final 30 seconds.
"Tough loss," third-year head coach
Rick Cabrera said. "Guys battled. Just another game playing catchup from the first half to the second half. We made it a one-possession game, but we just couldn't get over the hump."
The slow start proved costly.
Northwestern committed 12 first-half turnovers, including seven in the opening 10 minutes, which led directly to 12 Lions points.
Despite holding East Texas A&M to 26 percent shooting for the game, the early giveaways put the Demons in a hole.
"It's so deflating," Cabrera said. "We were just very careless with the ball. That's not like the team I know, because we haven't had that many turnovers in a lot of games. We put ourselves in a hole offensively. On the road, when you're playing catch up like that, it's tough to win those games."
East Texas A&M (10-15, 5-10) built a 29–19 halftime lead and extended it to 35–21 early in the second half before the Demons began to chip away.
Northwestern responded with defensive intensity, holding the Lions scoreless for 5 minutes and 37 seconds late in the game and nearly nine minutes without a field goal.
Vinny Sigona, who scored 11 first-half points, was held scoreless after the break and fouled out with five minutes remaining.
Despite the loss, the Demons controlled the glass, outrebounding the Lions 51–44 and dominating second-chance points 19–2. They also finished with 15 offensive rebounds and 13 fast-break points.
"I want to give them credit," Cabrera said of the Lions' defense. "Their switching bothered us. But we also missed a lot of layups at the rim. We were 12-for-41 on two-pointers. When you're closer to the basket, those shots usually go in at a higher percentage. Ours didn't."
Offense remained difficult to generate throughout the night.
Willie Williams became the first Demon to reach double figures when he scored his 10th point with 59 seconds remaining, finishing with his fourth double-double of the season behind 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Micah Thomas, who has carried much of the offensive load this season, struggled from the floor, shooting 3-for-16.
"That dude has carried us offensively all season long," Cabrera said. "We need somebody else to step up when Micah has a tough shooting night. We didn't get that tonight."
Still, the Demons continued to fight.
Landyn Jumawan knocked down a transition 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to cut the lead to 48–46.
Izzy Miles followed with a fast-break layup to trim the deficit to two with 11 seconds remaining, but East Texas A&M sealed the game at the free-throw line.
"I hurt for our guys," Cabrera said. "They're still battling. I think this is the 10th game in a row where it's been one possession late. They haven't quit. But our margin of error is very slim. When you don't do the right things in the first half, the bad thing happens — and losing is the bad thing."
As for the recurring slow starts, Cabrera acknowledged adjustments may be necessary.
"Maybe we need to pick up the pace and do a little more pressing early on," he said. "We can't be passive defensively. We've got to start games better. We've got to play angry — on both sides of the floor."
Northwestern returns to action on Monday, heading to Beaumont, Texas, to face off against Lamar. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
