LAKE CHARLES, La. -- Sabri Thompson nailed 5 of 7 from long range for 21 points as Northwestern State started strong and finished off McNeese State 78-65 on Saturday.

Izaihiah Sweeney finished with 14 points with seven rebounds, Josh Boyd added 11 points while dishing out six assists and Ishmael Lane contributed 10 for Northwestern State (8-9, 2-4 Southland Conference) which has won two of the last three after dropping three straight.

Sweeney drilled a 3-pointer and followed with a layup to give Northwestern State an 18-12 lead in the first half. The Demons pushed that to a 31-23 halftime advantage and led 51-37 midway of the second period. McNeese State's Kalob Ledoux completed a 3-point play to close to 55-50. Sweeney answered with a layup and the Demons pulled away in the final minutes.

Ledoux had 17 points for McNeese State (6-12, 3-4) which had stopped a three-game losing streak by beating Central Arkansas Wednesday night.