NATCHITOCHES, La. – Despite playing with just seven active players, the East Texas A&M University men's basketball team came back from a 10-point second half deficit to take a 74-68 win over the Northwestern State Demons on Wednesday night at Prather Coliseum.
 
Both teams shot 51.9 percent from the field in the game with both squads shooting 27 for 52 from the field. The Lions went 11 for 25 from deep and 9 for 10 at the line, while the Demons went 7 for 17 from deep and 7 for 14 at the line.
 
The Lions snapped a three-game losing streak while securing their first ever win in Natchitoches in 10 tries. East Texas A&M has now won four of the last five against the Demons, as the two teams play again on Saturday.
 
The two squads are now tied in the Southland Conference standings with records of 4-10, while the Lions are 9-15 overall and the Demons are 6-17. There were 13 lead changes and 11 ties in the game.
 
There were just 20 points scored through the first eight minutes of the game, the Lions used a 11-4 run to take a 18-11 lead at the 7:06 mark, their largest of the game for the Lions.
 
Northwestern State stormed back to tie the game at 22 with four minutes left and held a 31-27 lead at the break. Despite the Lions scoring the first four points of the second half to tie the game, a 13-3 run by the Demons, including seven points in a row, gave them a game-best 10-point lead at the 15:38 mark.
 
Over a stretch of the next two minutes, the Lions held the Demons to just two points and pulled to within 46-45. From that point of the game, neither team had a lead bigger than three till the final minute of the game.
 
With the game tied at 66 at the 3:14 mark, Gianni Hunt (Lakewood, Calif.) hit a layup and following a one-minute scoring drought from both sides, Damian Garcia (Houston – Dobie) extended the Lion led to four with a putback layup on a missed three-pointer by Hunt.
 
Northwestern State was held to just four points in the final five minutes of the game. Micah Thomas had team-best 23 points.
 
For the Lions, Garcia, Hunt and Vinny Sigona (Prestonwood Christian Academy) scored 16 points each. Sigona came off the bench. Noah Pagotto (Wollongong, Australia) tallied 14 points and seven rebounds, while Josh Taylor (Atlanta) tallied 12 points and five rebounds.
 

POST GAME INTERVIEW
 
UP NEXT
The Lions and the Demons meet again on Saturday, with this meeting coming on Hunt Regional Healthcare Court in the Field House. Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/tickets.