NATCHITOCHES – Louisiana Tech still wears red and blue. Its women's basketball team still carries the Lady Techsters nickname.
 
But for Northwestern State co-head coach Brooke Stoehr, not everything is the same as it was when she played in Ruston in the late 1990s.
 
"Yeah, it's a familiar opponent, because I went to school there, but I'm old and the game of women's basketball has certainly changed since I've played," said Stoehr, who left Louisiana Tech as the NCAA's all-time leading free throw shooter (91.5 percent). "Their program has changed. This program has changed. I think it's completely different. We look at it as the next opponent on our schedule."
 
Stoehr and her Lady Demons (1-0) will see those differences up close Tuesday night at 6:30 when they host Louisiana Tech (1-0), which makes its first journey to venerable Prather Coliseum in 31 years.
 
Both teams enter off victories in their season openers – NSU defeating LeTourneau, 78-35, and Louisiana Tech winning 76-69 at Stephen F. Austin – as the squads meet for the second time in as many years.
 
Senior Keila Shelton led the Lady Techsters against SFA, dropping in 18 points alongside a team-best eight rebounds. Fellow senior Christassia Walker and JaQuan Jackson each had 16 in the Techsters' season-opening victory.
 
"They knocked down some outside shots," Stoehr said. "The thing I saw from them is they were very similar to SFA. It was like watching mirror teams – very athletic, want to get up and down the floor, play an up-tempo style. They were able to hit some outside shots. That's something last year's team wasn't as consistent with. Their perimeter went 18 (points), 16 and 16."
 
Like their Tuesday-night opponent, the Lady Demons return plenty of starting experience, although in its season opener, NSU saw plenty of promise from its newcomers. Led by 13-point performances by junior TaSheena Moore and sophomore Amy Staha, first-time Lady Demons combined for 40 points against LeTourneau.
 
Staha's 13 points nearly doubled her previous career high of seven, accomplished at Texas last season.
 
"I was pleased with them doing that," Stoehr said. "I think their consistency throughout the season is what will help propel us through the conference season or in the conference tournament. The biggest thing for them is just having that game experience.
 
"Staha didn't play much coming off a knee injury, and we really worked her in late in the season. This is almost like her freshman year. She can really shoot it, so getting that confidence and that game experience is really good for her."
 
When she was Brooke Lassiter, the current Brooke Stoehr was in the same position as her players. As she prepares her team to face her alma mater, she simply wants the focus on those on the court.
 
"Everyone wants to talk about it, because it's where I went to school and where (NSU men's basketball) Coach Mike (McConathy) went to school," Stoehr said. "But we don't look at it that way. We look at it as our next opponent. Our players don't care about that. Their players don't care about that. It's about going out there and performing and having our team be the best they can possibly be. I think we had a very, very good practice (Sunday), and I was very pleased with our energy and our focus and our concentration. They'll be ready to play whether we're playing Duke or Louisiana Tech or LeTourneau. It's about going out and executing and getting better. I think they'll go out and do that."