HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Postseason hopes ended for Northwestern State after its 80-62 loss to McNeese State last Saturday, but the Lady Demons can still end the season on a high note with four games remaining, beginning Wednesday at 6:30 when they visit Sam Houston State.
 
The Lady Demons (5-20, 1-11 SLC) have lost eight straight games and are 0-6 away from home in conference games while Sam Houston State (13-10, 8-4 SLC) has won three of its last four games and is 5-1 in home league games.  It's the second 20-loss season in school history but it has come as a result as the team losing some key players due to injuries.
 
Prior to the start of the conference season, NSU lost perhaps its best all-around player in sophomore guard Jasmine Bradley to a knee injury in a game against Prairie View on Nov. 29.  Then a few days later, the Lady Demons were dealt another blow when rising freshman forward Ebony Ford injured her knee in practice.  Add in the injury to freshman guard and key contributor Tashana Triplett to an Achilles tendon injury and the Lady Demons have been playing the entire conference slate with just seven players.
 
Aside from big losses at UCA and at home against Lamar and McNeese State, the Lady Demons have been in every game up until the final minutes.  Five conference losses have been by a combined 19 points while three have come down to the last possession.
 
Leading the way in scoring for NSU the entire season has been senior guard Jordi James, who tops the team with a 14.3 scoring average.  James has been dealing with the pain from a bulging disc in her back the past few games but still found her way to a career-high 32 points against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 11.
 
She became the first Lady Demon player to top the 30-point mark since the 2008 season when Tena Matthews netted 34 points in a game against McNeese State.
 
Juinor forwards Jasmine Upchurch and Trudy Armstead have been a dominant 1-2 punch for NSU for most of the conference season.
 
Upchurch is the most accurate shooter in the league, having sunk 53 percent from the field, and also has moved up to No. 22 in the NCAA rankings.  In her last six games, she has made 49 of 80 from the field for 61 percent.
 
Armstead continues to be one of the top rebounders in the league with a team-high 8.8 boards per game to go along with a 13.2 scoring average.  She is coming off a game-high 16 point outing against McNeese State and is closing in on 1,000 career points, now with 936.
 
Sam Houston State (13-10, 8-4) is tied for first place in the West Division with Stephen F. Austin and is coming off a hard fought 61-55 loss to overall first place Central Arkansas.
 
The Bearkats are led in scoring by Britni Martin's 16.5 per game average and Sequeena Thomas at 14.0 ppg.
 
The Lady Demons defeated Sam Houston 71-68 last year in Natchitoches but have won in Huntsville since an 83-67 victory in 2005.
 
Following Wednesday's game, the Lady Demons will be back home on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest against Texas-Arlington.