Senior center Devonte Upson makes a slam dunk during the first half against Northwestern State University Demons. Upson tied a career high with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Lion’s Roar / Maria Goddard

The Lions put up an intense fight, but the Northwestern State University Demons walked away with a 88-73 win in a recent Southland Conference game. 

This game was dedicated to celebrate Military Appreciation and St. Joseph’s Day. Fans from St. Joseph Catholic School received discounted tickets and also heard head coach Jay Ladner give the Hardwood Club speech prior to the game. All those who served in the military were asked to remain standing after the national anthem was sung on Saturday in the University Center. 

Unfortunately, the celebration was cut short because the first half saw less defense than was needed from the Lions. This helped the Demons take the lead. 

“In the first half, I didn’t think we defended with a lot of intensity and it was just too easy on Northwestern,” said Ladner. “We didn’t get after them aggressively enough on defense. I thought we did a much better job in the second half.”

For the whole game, the Lions made 46 percent of regular shots, 12.5 percent of 3-point shots and 61.9 percent of free throws. 

Most of these shots were completed by senior center DeVonte Upson, who scored a total of 19 points. Zay Jackson also lit the net aflame with 17 points, four assists and one block. 

Upson rebounded the ball 10 times and junior forward Daniel Grieves also displayed his quick reaction time with nine. 

“I tried to do more rebounding and I tried to get more points on the inside,” said Upson. “We could have beat them, [but] they were very effective.” 

The game increased in excitement and aggression during the second half. Lion’s fans roared with cheers when the Lions scored slam-dunks. They did not hesitate to protest with booing when the referees continued to call fouls on the Lions.

“The referees played a little unfair, but other than that, it was a good game,” said Lions fan Tamaira Williams of Hammond. “The referees were calling fouls that weren’t supposed to be called. The exciting part [however] was a lot of dunking [from the Lions].” 

In response, the Lions coaches called several time-outs during the second half in an attempt to regain control.

“That’s a constant thing that happens,” said Ladner. “We were trying to correct things that are happening in the game and adjust to some things that the other team were doing that were new to us. At the end we were doing it to give our guys a break, to get the breath back under them and kind of recharge a little bit.”

Ladner also utilized the time-outs to encourage the Lions to play with tenacity. 

“[Coach told us], ‘Stay in it, fight hard and play defense,’” said Upson. 

Ladner expressed that he and his team hope that progress will come as a result of a close assessment of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

“We have to try to correct the things we’re not doing so well and continue to do the things we’re doing well,” said Ladner. “It’s a constant evaluation and re-evaluation process every single day. I hope we will continue to improve as the season goes. The most important thing we stress is to play as a team and to put the team above self.”

Next up for the Lions will be a trip to Texas to battle against Abilene Christian University on Saturday. On Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., the Lions will take the University of Central Arkansas to their home court.