Demons surge by SFA 67-57 in 20-point turnaround

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Trailing by 11 late in the first half Monday night, visiting Northwestern State hardly seemed poised for a 20-point turnaround against Stephen F. Austin. Thats exactly what the Demons accomplished, in short order, while posting a 67-57 Southland Conference basketball victory at William R. Johnson Coliseum. Senior forward Jermaine Spencer posted season highs of 17 points and eight rebounds while Luke Rogers added 16 points and Colby Bargeman had 15 more for the Demons, who won for the seventh time in eight games. Northwestern (13-10 overall, 8-3 in the SLC) ended a stretch in which it played just twice in the past two weeks and began a string of three road games in six days, continuing Wednesday at McNeese State. Bargeman and Rogers helped spark NSUs eruption. They each had just four points at halftime when NSU trailed 29-24 while sinking only 35 percent (10-29) of its shots. Northwestern drained 56 percent (14-25) after halftime, including 6-of-9 on 3-pointers, and added 9-for-11 free throw aim to preserve its lead. The Demons closed the first half with six unanswered points in the last 1:29, then got a 3-pointer from Kennan Jones seven seconds into the second half to ignite the decisive run. After getting only 18 points in the first 18:30, NSU went on a 23-8 outburst over the first six minutes of the second half, building a 46-37 advantage that SFA never could overcome. Rebounding was indicative of the turnaround. SFA had a 21-16 advantage at halftime, but Northwestern outworked their hosts 22-9 on the boards afterward for a 38-30 final margin. "We werent playing aggressively in the first half, and we missed some easy shots inside because we didnt go up strong. We had the nice little finish to the half and that put some wind in our sails," said eighth-year Demons coach Mike McConathy. "Our guys came out determined and with some great energy, and we found a really nice groove." SFA (14-9, 7-4) briefly closed within three points, but the Demons rebuilt a nine-point lead on a dunk by Spencer after a Jones steal with 8:50 remaining and the Lumberjacks got no closer than five points after. "When Jermaine Spencer brings his game to that level, our team goes with him," said McConathy. "Thats what you look for in a senior. He helped set the tone and the whole group kept us going at a high level. "This was a quality win over an extremely well-coached team in their arena," said McConathy. "Im proud of the effort and the performance. Its something to build on." SFA got 15 points by Matt Kingsley and 13 from Josh Alexander. The Demons beat the Lumberjacks for the fourth straight time in the only meeting between the old rivals during the regular season.