Men’s college basketball: Demons’ strong second half not enough to overcome Islanders’ strong start

By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations; featured photo by Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In many ways, the Northwestern State men’s basketball team had seen how Monday night’s Southland Conference game played out roughly 48 hours earlier.

The one difference was in the outcome.

Two days after surviving multiple second-half surges to hold on for a win, the Demons were the ones trying to overcome a double-figure halftime deficit at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Despite a number of flurries, Northwestern was unable to overcome the Islanders’ hot-shooting first half, falling 73-64 at the American Bank Center.

“I’m always proud of the guys from battling back and not quitting, but I told them we lost the game in the first half,” second-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. “You can’t be down 16 on the road against a team like that and play catch up. We gave ourselves a chance, but we made some boneheaded mistakes in the second half. We’ll go watch film, learn and get better.”

Monday’s game followed a similar script to the Demons’ win against East Texas A&M on Saturday in Natchitoches but with the roles reversed.

Visiting Northwestern (7-9, 4-2) found itself down 16 at the half despite hitting seven of its first 11 shots from the field. That quick start gave the Demons a 15-12 lead at the 13:30 mark of the opening half on Willie Williams’ lone points of the first half.

Following Williams’ bucket, the Demons missed nine of their next 10 shots, allowing the Islanders (12-6, 5-1) to score the next 10 points and 25 of the next 28. In that span, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which entered the game as the top shooting team in the Southland Conference at 51.3 percent, sank 11 of 14 shots.

The Islanders shot 60 percent from the field in the first half to build a 16-point halftime advantage.

In another about face, the Demons were a much more efficient team in the second half, opening the frame with an 8-3 run across the first 3:18 of the half that cut the lead to 11 and forced the Islanders to call a timeout.

Another 5-0 surge capped by a Lado Laku dunk at the 13:17 mark trimmed the Islanders’ lead to seven points at 48-41, but just as the Demons did Saturday, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had answers.

The combination of Isaac Williams and Garry Clark combined for 37 points and had several key buckets down the stretch. No moment may have loomed larger than a 23-second span produced by Isaac Williams late in the second half.

After Love Bettis’ twisting jumper in the lane brought the Demons within five at the 4:21 mark, Isaac Williams answered with a layup. On the Demons’ ensuing possession, Isaac Williams jumped the passing lane and turned the steal into a three-point play that re-established the Islanders’ double-figure lead.

“We had to challenge these guys,” Cabrera said. “The day-and-a-half prep was Corpus Christi is a very physical team. You have to play through it. I don’t think we realized it until the second half. We’re a tough, physical team, too, but they were the tougher team tonight. Our guys answered the question in the second half. We had to play just as physical, and that got us back in the game.”

The Demon defense stood tall in the second half, holding the Islanders to 42.9 percent shooting, including a 1-for-6 mark from 3-point range.

A Bettis layup and a pair of Willie Williams free throws pulled Northwestern within seven with 27 seconds to play, but the Demons could not draw any closer.

Bettis had 11 points off the bench, joining Micah Thomas (15) in double figures for Northwestern. Typifying the Demons’ second-half effort, Willie Williams grabbed all nine of his team-leading rebounds after halftime while Laku established a career high with five blocks against the team with whom he began his collegiate career.

Laku added six points, four assists and three of the Demons’ 13 assists.

“Lado played his best college game,” Cabrera said. “I don’t know all the games he’s played, but I would bet this is the best game he played. When he got the ball on offense, he was patient. He protected the rim. I’m really proud of him and, hopefully, he can build off this and continue to get better.”

The Demons return to action Saturday when they host Southeastern. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. inside Prather Coliseum.

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