NATCHITOCHES, La. - Winners of two straight and three out of its last four contests, the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team heads back out on the road to take on Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, Feb. 12. 

"We are focusing on getting better each day, knowing that Northwestern State presents a mighty challenge," Cardinals coach Carson Cunningham said. "They have length and versatility, often times at the one through five positions. Every game in the Southland is a battle. We're eager to take on the challenge in Natchitoches."
 
TIPOFF COVERAGE
Live stream: Demon TV
Live Stats: SIDEARM 
 
SERIES HISTORY
UIW (7-16, 4-8 SLC) trails NSU (10-12, 7-6 SLC) in head-to-head matchups, 2-5, including a home loss to the Demons earlier this year, 72-66. 
 
WINNING WITH WILLIS
Keaston Willis is averaging 13 points per game this season, placing him atop the SLC's scoring list among freshmen. In Wednesday's win over SLU, the shooting guard scored 17 points, marking the 15th time this season he's scored in double figures.
 
BALENTINE'S DAY
Des Balentine scored a career-high 17 points Wednesday, dishing out five assists and grabbing four rebounds and three steals as he continues his hot streak over the last couple of weeks. The redshirt junior has scored in double-figures in four consecutive games and recorded at least five rebounds and four assists in three out of the last four matchups.
 
GRITTY GUARDS
Drew Lutz and Dwight Murray Jr. were instrumental in Wednesday's win, with Lutz scoring 15 points in addition to going a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line, while Murray Jr. added 13 points with a pair of 3-pointers. 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

• The Demons are 10-12 on the season and 7-6 in SLC play, currently looking to extend its two-game winning streak.
• NSU has one of the top defenses in the SLC, holding opponents to a league-best 39.8 percent shooting from the field. The Demons also average 4.68 blocked shots per game, good for second in the conference.
• No team in the SLC rebounds the ball better than the Demons, who average a conference-high 39.5 boards per game. 
• One of the key weaknesses for NSU is its ability to take care of the ball. The Demons are second-to-last in the SLC in turnover margin (-4.00).
• Chudier Bile is the team's leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game as well.
• Jarius Roberson is the top perimeter threat for the Demons, shooting 35.3 percent with 53 made 3-pointers on the season. 
• Nikos Chougkaz leads NSU in rebounds with 7.5 per game. 

STAY TUNED 
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. 

The UIW men's basketball team is on Twitter at @UIWMBB and Instagram at @uiwmensbasketball.