Northwestern St. 69, Stephen F.Austin 66

3/14/2008 10:11 PM

KATY, Texas (AP) -Trey Gilder scored 22 points and Keithan Hancock added 20 Friday night to lead Northwestern State past top-seeded Stephen F. Austin 69-66 in the semifinals of the Southland Conference tournament.

The fifth-seeded Demons overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to advance to the tournament finals for the fourth straight season. Northwestern State (15-17) will play No. 7 seed Texas-Arlington in the Sunday's championship.

Stephen F. Austin (26-5) was led by Matt Kingsley's 22 points and eight rebounds.

Colby Bargeman added 12 points for the Demons.

Gerald Fonzie scored 14 for Stephen F. Austin, which led 36-23 at halftime after shooting 48 percent from the floor.