Adjustments, second-half surge lift Demons past Ouachita Baptist

NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State men’s basketball team underwent plenty of change in the offseason.

In the Demons’ home opener Thursday afternoon, it was a series of much more subtle changes that produced a 79-68 victory against visiting Ouachita Baptist inside Prather Coliseum.

“I really want to commend Ouachita,” said first-year NSU head coach Corey Gipson, who collected his first victory as a head coach. “They had a terrific scouting report. They were assignment correct as we call it. They were very diligent on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

“I also want to commend our guys on being resilient and making adjustments throughout media (timeouts) to get the outcome we wanted.”

That wanted outcome did not come easily for the Demons (1-1), who blitzed the visiting Tigers with an 8-0 run to start the game. In a first half filled with runs – each team had at least a 12-0 push in the first 20 minutes – it was the hot-shooting Tigers who emerged with an eight-point halftime lead.

Ouachita Baptist, playing the game as an exhibition, shot 48.4 percent from the field (15-31) and hit half of their 14 3-point tries in the first 20 minutes. Coupled with a plus-14 rebound margin, the Tigers led for 12:45 of the final 13:46 of the first half.

Things changed in the second half, although the Tigers started much quicker in the second half, rattling off the first seven points of the half to build their largest lead of the game at 45-30 with 18:34 to play.

“All credit goes to the staff,” said Isaac Haney, who had 14 of his 19 points and two of his team-high three steals in the second half. “We changed some things structurally on defense. We changed some things on offense – throwing the ball inside where guys like (Dayne) Prim and Jalen Hampton were getting things done for us.”

Prim scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half while Hampton added all nine of his in the final 20 minutes. With the Demons trailing 45-35, the pair went to work, combining for NSU’s next 15 points as it whittled the deficit to six.

Hampton had six straight points in the midst of the run in just his second Division I game, settling in after a scoreless debut at No. 25 Texas Tech on Monday. The spurt came just minutes after Hampton scored his first collegiate basket, a circus-shot layup that was part of a three-point play.

“Today, I felt a lot more comfortable,” Hampton said. “(The layup) gave me confidence to go out and play my game and keep going on offense.”

Northwestern State tightened up defensively in the second half, holding Ouachita Baptist to just four made field goals in the final 14:59, allowing NSU to outscore the Tigers 35-16 and secure Gipson’s first win.

Prim played a key role in the comeback, patiently working inside for most of his 20 points. Backed by his and Hampton’s inside prowess, Northwestern State outscored OBU 20-12 in the paint in the second half.

“Dayne Prim is a warrior,” Gipson said. “If you want someone in the foxhole with you, he is that guy. He has a great pivot game in the post. He knows how to swivel his hips. He has good body balance, good pivots. We’re very appreciative of the fact that he’s 6-5 and is willing to do the dirty work.”

It was somewhat fitting that a Prim played a key role in landing Gipson his first win as a head coach.

Dayne Prim’s older brother, Gaige, played at Missouri State where Gipson was the associate head coach before being hired at NSU in March.

“It’s all really crazy, just being here with coach Gip and how it all come together,” Dayne Prim said. “It’s very special for me. I’m sure it’s special for him. I’m glad he gave me the opportunity to be here.

The Demons return to action Saturday when they host Illinois State at 7 p.m. in the first meeting between the schools, who will also see each other Nov. 17 in Normal, Illinois.