NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State tips off a three-game homestand over the next two weekends on Thursday evening with a Southland Conference basketball doubleheader against Nicholls State, as coach Mike McConathy’s Demons try to stay one game off the pace in the league race.

The men’s game at 7:30 in Prather Coliseum follows a women’s contest between the schools tipping off at 5:30. It’s Natchitoches Parish Appreciation Night with $5 tickets available in advance, either through the NSUDemons.com website or by calling the NSU ticket office at 357-4268 and using the promotional code “ParishNSU” to get the discounted price.

The games will be webcast free on ESPN3 online with Lyn Rollins and Van Chancellor as the announcers. Natchitoches radio station 100.7 FM KZBL is the flagship of the Demon Sports Network, whose broadcast will include 99.9 FM KTEZ in Many, 92.1 KSYR FM in Shreveport and the NSUDemons.com website with free audio by Patrick Netherton and Tony Taglavore.

The Demons (10-5 overall, 4-1 in the Southland) have won seven of their last nine and are the second-highest scoring team in the country, averaging 84.3 points per game. Leading NSU is Southland Conference Player of the Week DeQuan Hicks, who tops the team in scoring (14.5 per game) and rebounding (6.9) and ranks 22nd nationally with his 57.5 percent shooting aim.

Senior guard Shamir Davis (12.9 points per game), redshirt freshman guard Jalan West (11.7) and senior forward James Hulbin (11.7) carry the other double-digit scoring averages for the Demons. Ten NSU players have scored in double figures at least once this season, including junior guard Gary Stewart, who poured in a career-best 19 points Saturday in a 100-88 win at Central Arkansas.

Nicholls is 2-2 in the conference and 3-11 overall.