Preview: McNeese State Cowboys at Northwestern State Demons NATCHITOCHES, La. (Interstat) — A surging McNeese State team riding a five-game winning streak will visit a struggling Northwestern State squad looking to build on a rare victory when the Southland Conference rivals meet Monday night at Prather Coliseum. The matchup pits the conference’s top team against one near the bottom. The Cowboys (21-5, 11-2 Southland) have won 10 of their last 11 games and are coming off a dominant 97-54 road win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday. The Demons (8-18, 3-10), meanwhile, snapped a five-game skid with a 69-66 home win over Southeastern Louisiana that same day. McNeese State’s success has been built on balance and defense. In their recent blowout win, Javohn Garcia scored 21 points and Garwey Dual added 14 points and five assists. A player to watch is forward Peitok Machar, who nearly posted a double-double off the bench Saturday with nine points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes. Northwestern State will rely heavily on the hot hand of guard Micah Thomas, who is coming off a season-high 26-point performance in the win over Southeastern Louisiana. Thomas has scored 20 or more points in four of his last eight games and will be the focal point of the Demons’ offense. The teams last met on Dec. 5, with McNeese State delivering a 92-54 rout at home. The Cowboys have not lost to the Demons since the 2021-22 season. For Northwestern State, protecting home court is critical as it sits four games out of the final spot for the Southland Conference tournament with five to play. For McNeese State, the game represents another step toward securing the regular-season conference title and top seeding for the tournament. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. EST Monday. McNeese State will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next on Saturday, while Northwestern State will host Houston Christian the same day.