BEAUMONT, Texas (Interstat) — In a season defined by narrow defeats, the Northwestern State Demons finally flipped the script. Willie Williams converted an offensive rebound into a layup with four seconds remaining to lift Northwestern State to a 70-68 victory over the Lamar Cardinals in a Southland Conference men’s basketball game on Monday night at Montagne Center.

The dramatic finish capped a gritty road win for the Demons, who had lost five straight games, four of them by six points or fewer. It also avenged a 15-point home loss to Lamar just six weeks prior.

Northwestern State led for nearly the entire contest, building a 37-33 halftime advantage behind early three-pointers from Micah Thomas, CJ Larry and Landyn Jumawan. The Demons maintained that cushion for much of the second half, but could never fully shake the Cardinals.

Lamar, fueled by the scoring of Rob Lee and Andrew Holifield, persistently chipped away. The Cardinals finally drew even at 66-66 on a pair of Errol White free throws with 31 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Northwestern State’s Micah Thomas was fouled and sent to the line for two shots with six seconds on the clock. Thomas made the first to give the Demons a one-point lead but missed the second.

The most important sequence of the game followed. Williams, who had been a force inside all night, outmaneuvered Lamar’s defenders to grab the offensive rebound on the right side of the basket. He immediately went back up and laid the ball in, putting Northwestern State ahead 70-68 and sending the Lamar home crowd of 1,092 into stunned silence.

Lamar called a timeout to advance the ball but could not get a clean look on its final possession, allowing the Demons to escape with the win.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 junior from Houston, was instrumental in the victory, finishing with 14 points, three assists and three blocks in 30 minutes, none bigger than his final putback. Thomas led the Demons with 14 points and four assists, while Larry added 11 points and six assists. Chris Mubiru contributed eight points and three blocks.

For Lamar, Lee led all scorers with 18 points. Holifield, a Beaumont native, added 17 points, and Braden East finished with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

The game was a defensive struggle, with both teams shooting under 40% from the floor. Northwestern State’s ability to protect the rim, registering eight blocks as a team, proved critical in offsetting Lamar’s rebounding advantage.

With the win, Northwestern State improved to 7-18 overall. Lamar fell to 12-13. The result defied the pregame projections, as Lamar had been an 8.5-point favorite and statistical models gave the Cardinals an 85.6% chance to win.

The victory provides a crucial momentum shift for the Demons as they head into the final stretch of conference play, while the Cardinals are left to ponder a missed opportunity at home in a tightly contested league matchup.