Demon Basketball battled UNO, and came out with a close win on Feb. 25. Both the Privateers and the Demons never let their scores lag behind the other team, playing a competitive shot-for-shot game.

The score after the first half was 39-37 with Northwestern State in the lead.

Ishmael Lane was the leading scorer during the first half with 10 points. This game also marked the return of senior guard Zeek Woodley to the court.

“I’m happy that Zeek [Woodley] is back,” Lane said. “It takes pressure off of all of us, and it’s another thrill on the court.”

Coach McConathy said he is also glad to see Woodley back in action.

“It’s a pretty special performance,” McConathy said. “I felt like the first half he was trying to find himself. After the second half, we got him in a situation to get some shots, but it’s like after that he was going to find the shots.”

At the end of the second half, Lane had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 12 points.

Woodley made sure his return would be one for the books. Wednesday’s game was nothing short of a warm-up for Saturday with him scoring 28 points. The Demons triumphed with an ending score of 83-82.

“I’m feeling good about the win,” Woodley said. “We’re just trying to win to get in the tournament. Sitting out wasn’t fun at all.”

Woodley played a total of 33 minutes on Saturday, and that was enough time to put big numbers up.

Sabri Thompson was the second leading scorer against UNO, with 18 points. Thompson is now tied with Kenny McMillon, who is ranked third in NSU history with 187 three-pointers.

On March 2, the Demons will again meet face-to-face with Stephen F. Austin in hopes of winning without going into overtime like their last game against SFA.