Northwestern State 68, Stephen F. Austin 66: Shamir Davis scored 19 points and DeQuan Hicks added 13 as the Demons edged the Lumberjacks in the Southland Conference tournament title game in Katy, Texas.

Hicks forced a turnover near midcourt after Stephen F. Austin inbounded the ball with six seconds left, giving second-seeded Northwestern State (23-8) its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2006.

Desmond Haymon scored 23 points and Taylor Smith had 16 points and 14 rebounds for top-seeded Stephen F. Austin (27-4), the conference’s regular-season champion. Antonio Bostic made three 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.

Northwestern State led by nine with 9:12 to play before Stephen F. Austin cut the deficit to 62-61 on Haymon’s basket with 4:13 remaining. The loss was only the Lumberjacks' ninth in their last 50 games.

The Lumberjacks, who were seeking their second berth in the NCAA Tournament, missed nine of their 23 shots from the foul line. Northwestern State shot 46.4 percent against Stephen F. Austin, which entered Saturday as the nation’s top scoring and fifth-best field-goal percentage defense.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Stephen F. Austin extended its streak of holding opponents to fewer than 70 points to 63 consecutive games. … Northwestern State won the season series with the Lumberjacks 2-1 with each game decided by fewer than five points. ... The Demons entered the 2006 NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed, defeating Iowa in the first round 64-63 before losing to West Virginia 67-54.