HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Louisiana Sports Writers Association player of the week Trudy Armstead will lead the Northwestern State women's basketball team into a five-game road swing that opens with Sam Houston State at 5:30 Thursday in Southland Conference play at the Johnson Coliseum.
 
Armstead earned player of the week honors after leading the Lady Demons (13-10, 6-5 SLC) in points (18.5 points per game) and rebounds (8.0 rebounds per game) in a heart-breaking loss to McNeese and a 16-point win over Nicholls last week.
 
She also became the seventh member of NSU's 1,000-point/700-rebound club in Northwestern State's 13^th win of the season.  The Lady Demons had 12 wins all of last year, and only six the year before head coaches Brooke and Scott Stoehr arrived.
 
The Lady Demons are tied for fifth place with Oral Roberts and McNeese State in the Southland Conference standings, and just one game from third place with seven contests to play.  Sam Houston (10-12, 5-6 SLC) is one game behind the NSU in 10^th.
 
"At this point we're right in the mix, and at 6-5 we're in a jumbled mess from about fourth place on down," said Brooke Stoehr.  
 
Armstead is the Lady Demons' second leading scorer at 14.2 points a contest, just behind Keisha Lee who averages 14.6, and leads NSU in rebounds at 6.0 per game.  Janelle Perez also scores an average in double-figures at 10.3 points a game and leads the Lady Demons in assists at 4.3.
 
Northwestern State both scores and allows 65 points per game, and shoots 41 percent from the field. Sam Houston also averages 65 points, but allows 71 points per contest.  The Bearkats shoot 38 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range.
 
The two teams faced each other in the league opener on Jan. 2, and the Northwestern State won 78-59.  Five Lady Demons scored in double-figures and hit 53 percent of their shots.  NSU leads the all-time series 37-16.
 
"They are tough to play at home.  They are sitting at 5-6, but they've gotten some big wins after getting out to a rough start in league play," said Stoehr.  "Brenda (Nichols – SHSU head coach) has done a great job of turning them around and getting them in a position to win ball games."
 
SHSU is led in scoring and rebounding by Angela Beadle who averages 15.7 points per game and 10.4 rebounds a contest.  Jasmine Johnson averages 11.6 points a game.
 
"They have one of the best scorers in the league in Beadle," said Stoehr.  "She's a big presence inside."
 
The Lady Demons will continue their road play on Saturday at 4 o'clock when they travel to Lamar.  NSU will return to Prather Coliseum on March 6 to finish the regular season with Central Arkansas and March 8 with Oral Roberts.