DENTON, Texas (WNTZ) – Northwestern State men’s basketball stayed within striking distance for much of Thursday night’s road contest before a cold second half allowed North Texas to pull away for an 80–53 win inside The Super Pit.

The Demons (0–2) showed resilience early, trading baskets and momentum through the first 30 minutes before fading late.

“We competed and gave ourselves a chance for about 30 to 34 minutes,” third-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. “But the last seven minutes of the game, I thought we quit. That’s not the team I’m known for coaching, and we’ll fix that and get better.”

Northwestern State weathered a 10–2 North Texas run to start the game, responding with balanced scoring from Chris Mubiru and Moustapha Loum. Justin Redmond sparked a 10–2 surge midway through the first half, hitting a 3-pointer and sinking three straight free throws to tie it at 12. Moments later, J.C. Riley Jr. gave NSU its first lead at 16–15.

The Mean Green countered with a 9–2 run and took a 28–20 lead at halftime after a fast-break layup just before the buzzer.

“Our guys play hard,” Cabrera said. “We don’t talk as much as we should on defense, and that’s something we have to fix. When you’re down seven with eight minutes to go and end up losing by 30, that’s frustrating. It’s unacceptable.”

The Demons came out energized after the break, cutting the deficit to five behind a 3-pointer from Izzy Miles and a four-point play by Mubiru to make it 32–27 early in the second half.

From there, North Texas seized control, shooting 68 percent from the field and 73 percent from 3-point range in the second half while outscoring NSU 33–12 during a game-breaking stretch. The Demons went scoreless from the field over the final 9:36 as the Mean Green closed strong.

Redmond led Northwestern State with nine points, including three free throws. Mubiru added eight points on 3-for-4 shooting, while Miles contributed eight points and went 3-for-4 from the line. Omar Adegbola added eight points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe, and Landyn Jumawan chipped in seven points, two assists, and four steals.

“We need someone to step up and lead,” Cabrera said. “Willie (Williams) is our leader, but it’s hard to lead when you’re not playing. Micah’s our most talented player, but we can’t just have leaders when things are going well. Someone has to lead when things go bad — and we’ll find that person.”

David Terrell Jr. led North Texas with 13 points and six assists, as four Mean Green players scored in double figures. The team shot 56 percent from the floor and 48 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite the loss, NSU’s bench showed promise, contributing 24 points as the Demons hit 74 percent from the free-throw line (20-for-27).

“You can learn a lot from losses,” Cabrera said. “When we’re in conference play and in a tight game with 10 minutes to go, we’ll be able to look back at this and know what not to do.”

The Demons will look to rebound Tuesday when they visit North Alabama, closing out a three-game road stretch to open the season.